Garlic Scapes-Make Pesto!
Garlic scapes are at the Dupont Market now. I bought a bright, beautiful and firm bunch last Sunday-and had absolutely no idea what I was going to do with them! But first things first. I had heard of these ‘curls’ or ’scapes’, and I know that they are a spring delicacy-but what are they, exactly?
Garlic, and the rest of the Allium family (onions, leeks, chives), grows underground. As the bulb forms and begins to harden, it sends a shoot through the soil, above ground. This green tendril of hard-neck garlic is the garlic scape, or curl, as they are called at Next Step Produce, where I bought them. The scape is cut, or pinched, so that the garlic can use all of the energy of the plant to grow fully.
Scapes are thought to have a mild garlic taste, without the ‘bite’ of garlic cloves. This means, you can flavor any dish with this green tendril in the same manner you would use garlic or onion. Try tossing chopped scapes into a salad or omelette, or frittata. Make hash browned potatoes and toss them in towards the end of cooking to retain their crunch.
From what I’ve read, the most popular use for the garlic scape is pesto. The best part of making pesto from the scapes is the ability to freeze it. Simply portion the pesto into ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen, remove the pesto from the ice cube molds and store them in a plastic bag in the freezer.
You can use the pesto in pasta dishes, omelettes, frittatas and on bruschetta or crostini. Think how nice this would be for an impromptu gathering!
Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 bunch garlic scapes or curls, washed and ends trimmed
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts, finely ground
- 3/4-1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Blanch the scapes in simmering water for 4-5 minutes, or until the just begin to yield when lifted out of the water. Remove them immediately to an ice bath to stop the cooking and retain the bright green color. Dry thoroughly.
Chop the scapes in a food processor until they are fine. Add the cheese, nuts, salt and pepper. Turn the food processor on and stream in the olive oil until desired consistency. Adjust seasoning to taste.
I love reading your blog because it is such a learning experience. First, I learned what a ramp was and now I’m learning about garlic scapes!! The pesto looks great.
You can also add them to a stirfry. They hold up beautifully. But my favorite use for them is a very simple dish with corn, pine nuts and tomatoes. Saute some sliced garlic scapes in a little olive oil then add the kernals of a few ears of fresh corn. Make sure you scrape them really good to get all the tasty “milk”. Saute corn and scapes together very briefly just until the corn is heated through, then add some diced tomatoes or some halved grape tomatoes. Toss it all together in the pan then onto a serving plate. Top with toasted pine nuts, good salt and a bit of evoo. That’s my taste of summer!
Wow, Molly, that sounds great! I am definitely going to get some more on Sunday-I’ve only just begun to enjoy scapes!
Ramona,
I love basil pesto but this sounds intriguingly delicious. I have a bunch of scapes in my kitchen right now and the only thing lacking are the pine nuts. I’m going to make this for our weekend meal. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Doddie
I have to become more adventurous with green garlic, spring onions, and all of these lovely, lanky spring edibles. Thanks for the inspiration.
Ramona,
Thanks for this post! I’ve been sort of curious about what to do with garlic scapes. I’ll have to try this out.
Ramona,
I love your blog! I saw the scapes today at the market, but wasn’t sure what the heck to do with them. Thanks for the idea!
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