The Chef Apprentice: Escape from the ordinary with garlic scapes

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The Chef Apprentice

Join a self-taught cook as he trains at a top restaurant

June 3, 2009

Escape from the ordinary with garlic scapes

Garlic scapes are another culinary revelation that the chefs at OU - Oliveto University - have added to my curriculum.

Scapes are the stalks that shoot up from the center of the garlic plant. As you can see from the photo, they are a snaky form of flora, which makes them a bit tricky to dice.

To force more energy into the garlic bulbs while they are growing, many gardeners and farmers simply cut them the scapes and throw them away.

Merde! The scapes from garlic are delicious! (Not so for scapes from onion and leaks.) The trick is finding scapes that are tender and not tough, and knowing how to prepare them.

On Saturday, I cut up a few cups of garlic scapes for a salad dressing that line chef Kelsey Bergstrom was preparing. These were added to an equal amount of walnuts that I mortared, and Kelsey then tossed in some salt and olive oil.

Later that night, she added champagne vinegar to the mixture. (Adding it earlier, she said, might have discolored the scapes.) The final dressing was spooned over a salad of avocado and red beets, adding some bright color and texture, along with a hint of garlic.

Sorry, I don't have a photo of the final dish. But trust me -- it was a winning combination.

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