Have you seen garlic scapes at your farmer’s market? They are basically the stem and would eventually be the seed head of the garlic plant. They are snipped off to make sure that the plant’s energy is sent to forming the garlic bulb instead of being sucked away for a flower.
A lot of people use them for stir-frys, but I always make a pesto out of them. It’s super easy to do – you just substitue the basil with the garlic scapes. I like it tossed with pasta, just like a regular pesto.
This weekend it was used for hash, however. Yukon golds, bacon, and goat cheese. Make wells in the potato mixture and crack eggs into them. Put the whole thing under the broiler and watch it carefully! Cook it just until the eggs are set. Serve with a dollop of pesto and enjoy!
all this talk of hash has made me think it’s high time we made some here. and garlic scrapes? i’ve never heard of them until now. i have an unnatural affinity toward garlic (surely some sort of vitamin/mineral deficiency, right?) so it goes to reason i would like these too? are they garlicky or more oniony? or something altogether different? color me intrigued!
Yes! Hash! Garlic scapes are very mild I think – not overwhelmingly garlicky. Some people add them to stir fries, or steam them like beans. I hope you can find some and experiment!