A summer delicacy: Garlic Scapes with Parmesan Cheese

What looks like tangled cables but is green and tastes like garlic? Garlic scapes!!  I just discovered, this penduncle as it is called or long stem flowering vegetable at a organic farm High Hill in Meriden CT. They are the flowering stalks of  the hardneck garlic bulb.  They only grow 4  weeks in the summer and have a  stem and flower which is all edible.  Check out local farms near you. Delicious when sautéed in oil, just break off the stem where it is woody.  You can buy this veggie on https://www.getgarlic.com/product/garlic-scapes.

This is one of those finds you must bring home wrapped in a towel  and packed in your luggage for check in ! When I placed them in my refrigerator, I stared at them and said WTH  do I do with them? After researching, a few days later I cut them in 2 inch long pieces, and sautéed in a pan. Wow! 

Flavorful with garlic overtones of the actual garlic especially in the flower, (but not strong),  I sautéed them in olive oil and add shaved parmesan cheese.  A great side dish or featured with grilled meats or pasta. Low in calories at 30 kcals per 1/2 cup and with 6 grams of protein. It is one of those esoteric veggies that are a delight in the summer if you can find them!

Here’s the recipe:

• 2 cups of detangled 2 inch chopped scapes

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• Sea salt and ground pepper

• shaved parmesan

  Heat oil in a pan and saute the scapes for 5 minutes moving them around the pan until slightly golden . Add the salt and pepper and shaved parmesan , serve as a side vegetable.