Garlic Scape Pesto & Dip

Being a locavore has opened my eyes to new foods that I had never seen or heard of before. Not sure about anyone else, but I had never heard of garlic scapes before, two weeks ago. They were listed as a vegetable on the Bailey's Local Foods online ordering form and I thought, that sounds good, let's pick a bundle of those up. I had no idea what they would look like or the taste, but I'm dedicated to trying just about every local food I can so experimenting was on my agenda.

Bright green, the scapes reminded me of a cross between green onions with a garlic flavor. Safe to eat raw but also good lightly sauteed with a bit of tatsoi (an Oriental green similar to spinach - also local and delicious!).  High in fibre, antioxidants, vitamin A and vitamin C, scapes are the floral part of the garlic bulb. Only available for a short time, I would definitely recommend trying to seek some out!

Garlic Scape Pesto

8-10 garlic scapes chopped

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup of finely grated cheese (optional)

1/2 cup of olive oil (I used a little less)

pinch of pepper

Take garlic scapes, sea salt, cheese and olive oil, blend until smooth and creamy. If you want yours a little less thick, add some extra olive oil, but I would recommend not adding too much or it may become a pool of olive oil.

Garlic Scape Pesto Dip

1 tablespoon of pesto recipe from above

250 grams of sour cream or greek yogurt

Combine pesto and cream/yogurt. Enjoy with chips or fresh cut veggies.

A few other ideas, mix a couple tablespoons of garlic scape pesto with risotto, grilled or roasted chicken, or with soft goat cheese and spread it on some local bread to make a gourmet grilled cheese.

I hope you will be enjoying some garlic scapes in the near future!



Have you ever had garlic scapes before? How do you enjoy eating them?

Bon Appetit!

Chef Mama

Shared at Just another Meatless Monday