1 pound or more of scapes, whole 3 cups vinegar 5 cups water ¼ cup kosher salt Fresh Basil Leaves Chili Flakes
Boil the water, vinegar & salt solution. Pack hot jars with whole scapes, 1 fresh basil leaf, a pinch of chili flakes (depending on your spice tolerance) and then the brine. Put on lids, place in a hot water canner and boil for 45 minutes. Leave at least 2 weeks before serving to get best flavor.
Garlic Scape Soup
*from Super Natural Cooking, by Heidi Swanson
2 tablespoons clarified butter or extra-virgin olive oil 2 dozen garlic scapes, flower buds discarded and green shoots chopped 3 large russet potatoes, unpeeled and cut into ½ inch dice 5 cups vegetable stock or water 2 large handfuls spinach leaves, stemmed Juice of ½ lemon ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt Freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup heavy cream (optional) Chive blossoms, for garnish (optional)
Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the scapes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and stock, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and beginning to break down.
Remove from the heat, add the spinach, and puree using a hand blender. (If you must use a conventional blender, be careful; the hot liquid can burst out the top and make a huge, potentially painful mess. Try leaving the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Cover the top with a kitchen towel and blend in batches at low speed.) Season with the lemon juice, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Whisk in the cream for a silkier texture. If the soup tastes flat, add salt a few big pinches at a time until the flavors really pop. Serve garnished with the chive blossoms.
Serves 4 to 6.
Grilled Garlic Scapes
*from 2 Sisters Garlic Grilled scapes are sweet with a mild garlic/onion flavor. Even our children love them! Wrap scapes in tinfoil with a little bit of olive oil. Some people just lay tinfoil on the grill, add oil, and grill uncovered. Grill until tender. Salt if desired, and enjoy!
Ingredients: 1/2 cup garlic scapes, finely chopped 4 T fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup olive oil 2-3 cups grated Parmesan cheese (to taste) salt to taste
Instructions: Put garlic scapes and lemon juice in bowl of food processor with steel blade, and process until scapes are very finely chopped. With food processor running, add oil through the feed tube and process 2-3 minutes. Remove lid, add half of Parmesan cheese and process 2 minutes, then add the rest of cheese and salt and process 2-3 minutes more.
Serve tossed with hot pasta. In the photo above, I ate my pesto with Dreamfield's Linguini. This would also be good on fish, as a topping for bread, or as a seasoning for cooked rice.
White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip
*from 2 Sisters Garlic 1/3 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4) 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste Ground black pepper to taste 1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling.
In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée. With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired. Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt. Serve with bread, tortilla chips, etc.
Garlic Scape Vinaigrette
* from Abundant Harvest Kitchen Ingredients: 10 chopped garlic scapes 10 basil leaves 1 cup olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp lemon juice salt and pepper to taste Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a blender until fully mixed. Use with salads, or as an oil dip for fresh bread
1/2 lb campanella pasta, or shape of your choosing 4 slices bacon (about 3 1/4 ounces), chopped 1/4 cup garlic scapes, cut into 1/4 inch coins 2 large eggs 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese Set a pot of water to boiling on the stove and cook the campanella pasta (or desired shape). While it’s cooking, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and add the garlic scapes. Cook until soft (2-3 minutes). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. (Drain both the bacon and the garlic scapes on a paper towel).
Whisk together the eggs, salt and red pepper flakes.
When the pasta is done, quickly remove it from the stove and set a different burner to low heat. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot, on the burner set to low. Stir in the garlic scapes and bacon. Add the egg mixture and stir feverishly for 3-4 minutes until sauce is thick and creamy. Don’t let it overcook or it will be gloppy. Sprinkle the romano cheese in, a little at a time, and stir to combine. Don’t add it all at once or it won’t mix through out the pasta as well (since it will clump).