It’s garlic scape season! Garlic scapes sprout up from the garlic bulb underground. They are picked in late spring or early summer, and if left unharvested, they would bloom into purple flowers. By harvesting garlic scapes, the garlic plant channels its energy into the underground bulb, diverting it from the flowers.
Garlic scapes are a vivid green, firm, curly stalk. They taste just like garlic but are much milder in flavor.
Garlic scapes may be lesser known but eating them has big benefits—eating the entire garlic plant reduces food waste, buying garlic scapes supports local farms, and garlic scapes are great for your health and a wonderful addition to meals.
Borealis Farm grows garlic scapes, like all their produce, organically, leaving out toxic pesticides and herbicides which are harmful to the environment and your health.
Use garlic scapes in place of scallions or garlic in most recipes, such as a stir fries or frittatas. Scapes can also be used to make a pesto, in salad dressings, and they can be pickled.
For another great garlic scape recipe check out the rainbow summer salad with peanut dressing.
Garlic scape friggione
This friggione recipe is inspired by a rustic Italian dish from Bologna, Italy. Strap in, because this recipe takes an ample amount of time to cook down but it’s more than worth the wait. The slowly cooked onions and scapes lead to a tender, rich, and sweet dish.
Friggione makes some impressive crostini: brush toasted bread rounds with extra virgin olive oil, top with friggione, basil microgreens, and a pinch of salt and pepper. It can also be served over polenta or as a side dish.
Recipe makes 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 garlic scapes
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup plain tomato sauce
- Microgreens (garnish)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a medium skillet and turn heat to low.
- With a very sharp knife, slice the onion thinly. Cut the garlic scapes into 2-3-inch pieces.
- Add the onions and the scapes to the pan. Allow them to cook down on very low heat for 2 hours. The onions should remain white throughout the cooking process, shrinking down considerably. Stir every few minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce once cooked down completely. Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer.
- Allow to cook for about another half an hour. If the tomato sauce starts to stick, add a little bit of water or vegetable stock.
- Once the sauce is cooked down and thick, your friggione is ready! Garnish with microgreens, a pinch of salt, and freshly ground pepper.
- Enjoy!
Photo and recipe credit to Lindsay Schwartz, on behalf of Borealis Farm.
Visit The Art Nichols Cafe at Cheshire Medical Center on Wednesdays from 10 am to 2 pm for a pop-up farmer’s market provided by Borealis Farm in Surry, NH for all the ingredients in this recipe and more.