Karen Gordon: Why not try garlic stalks with your pasta?

Garlic scapes are long curly mung bean-like vegetables with tightly closed buds of hard-necked garlic.

Have you ever heard of garlic stalks? If not, you are not alone. I recently ran an informal poll on my Instagram account and found that 58% of his respondents had never heard of garlic stalks.

If you're wondering what they are, these long, curly hairs with tightly closed buds from hardneck garlic plants It is a green bean-like vegetable.

You may be wondering what Hard Neck Garlic is. When I first encountered this term, I thought that garlic might have a neck. Up until this point, I thought all garlic was the same. I'm wrong Hard neck garlic is one that has a stiff stem in the middle of the bulb. Most of the garlic we get is softneck garlic, so they are less common. However, garlic stems only sprout from hardneck varieties.

To make matters even more confusing, garlic stalks are not the same as green garlic. Green garlic is essentially the young shoots of the garlic bulb. It is sweet, soft and has a delicate garlicky flavor. Garlic stems, on the other hand, are harvested when they are full-sized, curled, and have completed flowering buds. It's milder and sweeter than fresh garlic, but don't be fooled, it packs a garlic punch, especially when eaten raw.

When it comes to tenderness, the younger the scape, the softer it is. Long scapes tend to be tougher. That said, they are by no means tough. The texture is like young asparagus. The entire garlic stalk is edible, from the base to the bulb. If you love garlic, you'll love garlic stalks. Also, even if you don't like garlic, you can enjoy it because it's not as spicy as garlic. I found that cooking the scapes weakened the garlic flavor. Similarly, freezing the scape once it turns into pesto also helps soften its bite.

The easiest way to enjoy this specialty vegetable is to grill it. Once washed and dried, lightly massage the garlic stalks with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake the entire scape over medium heat until it is bright green with golden specks. Serve as you would grilled vegetables. It's sweet, garlicky, has a nutty flavor, and is very delicious.

If you want to incorporate garlic scapes into your cooking, try his two pasta recipes below.

Pasta Cheese with Garlic Scape Pesto and Burrata

This easy summer weekday recipe is perfect for those evenings when it's too hot to cook on the hot stove for a long time. The freshness of sweet basil is added to the flavor of nuts and garlic. It is recommended to blanch the garlic stalks. This can be done in advance and refrigerated until needed. All you need to make this dish is the time it takes to boil the pasta. While the pasta is boiling, make the pesto. Toss the pasta and pesto together, serve and serve generously with the burrata. Thick, creamy and delicious.

Materials

10 garlic stalks, trimmed, washed, dried and cut into 1/2 inch pieces65}

1 bunch of fresh basil leaves

3/4 to 1 cup (180 mL to 240 mL) extra virgin olives Oil or better

1/3 cup (45 g) raw almonds

1 tsp lemon juice

tsp sea salt 1/2

pepper to taste

3/4 lb (340 g) dry pasta, preferably penne

10 oz (300 g) burrata cheese

Description

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the garlic stalks and cook until softened, 1 to 3 minutes, depending on thickness. Drain in a colander and immediately immerse in ice water to stop cooking. Drain and set aside.

While you are waiting for the pasta water to boil, prepare the pesto. Add garlic stalks and basil leaves to food processor. Engrave. Once you have the desired consistency, add 1/2 cup of olive oil and continue to mix, scraping down the sides. Add raw almonds, lemon juice and salt. Continue blending and adding olive oil until you reach the designed consistency. Taste the pesto and adjust with salt and pepper accordingly. set aside.

Cook pasta in lightly salted water until al dente or according to package. Drain and set aside 1/2 cup of pesto water.

Return the drained pasta to the pot. Add 3/4 of the pesto and 1/4 cup of pasta water. Stir the pasta, adding more pasta water as needed.

Serve on a plate. Top pasta with a little more pesto and a generous amount of burrata. Serve immediately. fun.

Serves 4

Creamy Garlic Scape with Chicken and Spaghetti

Cream in this recipe , but this dish is still bright and light and you can see the ingredients through. I love this recipe because it makes a quick and easy main course for a casual dinner party. I recommend using lemon zest instead of lemon juice to prevent the cream from curdling. Serve this pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, freshly ground pepper and a chilled glass of Chardonnay.

Ingredients

1 lb (455 g) chicken breast sliced ​​into bite size

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder155}

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 lb (340 g) dried spaghetti

1/2 lb ( 230 g) Garlic stalks washed, dried, trimmed and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

olives 2 tbsp oil

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 2 zest lemons at /2

salt and pepper to taste

grated parmesan

Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Add sliced ​​chicken breast to mixing bowl. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cornstarch. Mix well to coat. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Chicken can be prepared up to the day before.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti until al dente or according to directions. drain.

While the pasta water is boiling, heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter melts, add garlic and season with salt. Saute until the scapes are bright green and tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the scape and set it aside.

Without washing the frying pan, add the seasoned chicken and sauté until nearly cooked, about 4 minutes. Return the scapes to the pot. Add heavy cream and chicken broth. Boil the mixture. Add lemon zest and mix.

Add the pasta to the creamy chicken and scape mixture. Combine and throw. Removed from heat. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper. fun.

4 servings

Karen Gordon is a food blogger in her North Vancouver,karentology. She shares her recipe creations online at com. Her Instagram is @karen. t.on ology and on Pinterest at @karentologyblog.

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