L-R: Brent, Allan Glaser, Tab Hunter, Josh
What does 1950′s screen star Tab Hunter have to do with garlic scapes and pesto? Well, we’ll be honest…not much. But, as some of you already know, we often name recipes after the person who either inspired or simply ate the meal with us.
Last winter, Josh appeared in a double-billing book reading in Florida with Mr. Tab Hunter, who wrote the magnificent memoir “Tab Hunter Confidential – The Making of a Movie Star.” He and his partner, Allan Glaser, were such a pleasure to spend time with that we asked them to please come visit us at the farm. So this past weekend, while they were on a car trip up the East Coast, they did just that.
As usual, when we have guests, we try to create meals using ingredients straight from the garden. Tab and Allen had the good fortune of visiting when our garlic chose to send up their scapes. What are garlic scapes? They’re the curly central flower stem that emerges from a garlic plant as the weather turns warmer. It’s important to remove these stems before they flower and go to seed so that the plant’s energy returns to the bulb and not the reproductive process.
Sensuous, curvy garlic scapes. The pointy bit at the end is the flower pod. It must be discarded before eating.
The young scapes have the consistency of a crisp green bean, and a milder flavor of garlic. They’re simply delicious, and one of those seasonal delicacies, like wild leeks, that we look forward to all year.
Usually we chop and saute the scapes and use them as a side dish, or in eggs, but we wanted to try something different this year. To take full advantage of the scape’s delicate flavor, we decided to make a fresh pesto out of them. Here’s the recipe we concocted:
GARLIC SCAPE PESTO WITH HAZELNUTS
About 12 young garlic scapes – young flower pods removed and roughly chopped.
Approx 10 large basil leaves
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese (we used an extra-aged Blaak since we had it in the freezer.)
1/2 C toasted hazelnuts
1 C olive oil
Salt to taste
Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and pulse blend until just before it reaches a completely smooth texture. Add more oil if you like your pesto thinner. Toss with freshly cooked pasta and serve slightly warm, or room temperature.
The hazelnuts can be toasted in a dry pan over a low flame. Be careful to stir so they don't burn. Some of the skins should fall off once toasted. We don't much care if some skins make it into the final blend.
We served what we call a "soft salad" along with the pesto. Young Butter Bibb leaves, radish blossoms, young dill, pea blossoms, and rose petals, tossed with olive oil and red wine vinegar. It literally melts in your mouth.
Along with the pesto, we pan-fried some of our own pork sausage. We finished off the sausage by adding a bottle of beer to the pan and letting it simmer off - leaving a sweet coating on the sausage pieces.
We can sincerely say that eating such a fresh garden dinner on the porch while listening to Tab speak fondly about old Hollywood friends was one of the most pleasant evenings we’ve spent at the Beekman. We hope Allan and Tab return soon…maybe for a nice autumn pesto.
What are some of your favorite impromptu pesto recipes?
Maybe now that DADT is over that will change, Gregg
I have never heard of 99% of these items but i “might” be willing to try them they sound good. Although eating a flower that would be new, never done that. Edible flowers aren’t on many of the militaries menu’s.
I haven’t made pesto, but we do grill lots of scapes – a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. My husband just finished harvesting our 96 garlic plants a few weeks ago – they are beautiful, altho not as big as last year due to a very wet Spring here in Oregon. From Chesnok Reds to Xian to heirloom garlics found in Oregon fields, he has them all! We enjoy our own garlic all winter. The hardest part? Waiting 9 months for that delicious bulb!
Delicious, Christine
Glad to know garlic scapes consumed here in US, like to share the Chinese ways to prepare this veggie:
Stir fried Chicken/pork dishes – replace garlic scapes with your green in the recipe.
Stir fried with preserved ham (prefer CHinese kind), but, you can always try Virginia ham.
Hi, Anna
So glad that you liked it. Pass it along
A few weeks ago my husband and I prepared this recipe with our first garlic garden. How wonderful. Thank you for sharing!
wonderful idea, Dave
I had more leftover scape pesto and wanted to use it up so I used it as the base seasoning for a macaroni salad. I mixed it with the hot pasta let it cool, added the usual then a touch of mayo and finished the seasoning to taste. It didn’t need much in extra seasoning.
Hi, Annette
As long as the scapes are still green, you should still be able to harvest and use.
I am so happy to find you guys. My husband and I watched your
TV show faithfully and really enjoyed it. I too am a first\
time garlic grower. I had know idea what to do with it. My
friend gave me the seeds or bulbs or whatever you call them
last year and I planted them this spring and low and behold
I now have garlic. I think. Anyway is it too late to harvest
the scapes. I live in central Maine. I love to cook and that
pesto sounds yummy.
hagn,
Annette
Shoot! All these years just letting my garlic “do it’s own thing” without knowing about the scape clause. Too late now in western New York, but next year, we’re having scapes regularly!
I was just up in Embarrass, MN at the Finnish Homestead this weekend and the Farmer’s Market guy gave me some- he just called them garlic tops. Said he likes them in potatoe and Leek soup. I gotta try them!
just made this for lunch….it was terrific!! I love the rustic quality that you can bring to it by making it yourself and processing it as little or as much as you want. I had pesto and asagio sausage along with it and our lunch was a success! Thanks again guys!!…and Tad!
Two words: scape butter.
Thank you so much for helping to get the word out on scapes. Garlic lovers everywhere need to know how wonderful they are. We’ve grown garlic for 30 years. About 15 years ago we started cooking with the scapes and sharing what we had with friends. We first tasted pickled scapes at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival and have friends who have started using them this way too. Even though the “harvest” season for scapes is quite short, we have discovered they keep very well in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Ironically, the refrigerator is the last place you want to keep garlic bulbs, but the scapes love it.
We enjoyed being part of the 2010 Sharon Springs Harvest Festival and are sorry to have to miss this year’s harvest festival. The HVGF is always the last full weekend in September and we are scheduled to be there. Best Wishes.
OMG you guys are killing me! Im about to attempt to make the habanero cajeta and homemade goatsmilk icecream to “ribbon” it through when I saw the garlic scape recipe. I planted garlic for the first time (purchased at Sharon Springs 2nd Harvest Festival) and had no idea what those things were! Its going to be a busy busy day!!! Oh no!! I forgot about the galette!! Cant wait to get back to Sharon Springs! Love you guys! Im from LI but my parents are a short 40 miles down rte 10 in Harpersfield.
After making the pesto and not using it all I took about a tablespoon of it thinned it with more olive oil and added lemon juice for a great salad dressing
We made this with walnuts instead of hazelnuts… it was fabulous!
Thanks guys for another great recipe!! I also took my extra scapes and pickled them… we’ll see how THAT comes out 
This was timely, since I have a huge bunch of garlic scapes in my fridge and a brand new Cuisinart on the counter. And I love the idea of using Blaak because I have a hunk in my freezer,too! I’m trying this one tonight!
One of my most-favorite Tab Hunter movies is “Lust in the Dust” where he starred with the late actor(ess) Divine in a ‘wild’ west setting. I’ll admit that I have a strong liking of movies which have a bizarre twist as its theme. The director, John Waters, is known for making movies like this. Obviously this one never made it to consideration for an oscar as it’s audience focus is very limited. But if you like movies with a strange and twisted plot give this one a try. My thanks to Tab Hunter for this one!
I make a pesto with pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) as the nut. I slather it on white fish fillets (tilapia, cod, haddock) and then assemble en papillote with a layer of jasmine rice, green beans, the pestoed fish, topped with lemon slices, and all wrapped up. Bake about 15 minutes at 425. Yummy.
Thanks for sharing, John
Cilantro, mint, toasted cashews, salt to taste, a garlic clove or some chopped shallot and some red pepper flakes pureed with a combination of peanut oil and canola oil (but not too much). Think of it as Hindu pesto. Delicious on fingerling potatoes roasted with a bit of oil, tumeric, salt and pepper.
The apricots, peaches and nectarines are starting to appear in our local farmers’ markets. Can’t wait to make the first peach/blueberry cobbler of the summer.
Nice post!
I never remove the pointed flower pod. I always use it all.
My pesto includes the scapes, olive oil, and a handful of walnuts. I had enough this year to freeze some
The hazelnut part caught my eye…do you have Filbert trees on your farm or do you get them locally? Can you grow hazelnuts in Upstate NY?
Have a great summer, Suzanne
There are few better ways to celebrate that wonderful turning of Spring into Summer than with garlic scape pesto. It is a tradition here as well. Now on to the heirloom tomatoes…
I am learning so much from reading this post alone. I cook mostly tradition Italian but I can see that really this is the “real salt of the earth” Italian way. I love this. More, more please. I have my garden growing and I do not have nuts of course here in CT but they are available. So excited to get started. I have company coming over galore too here at my house and on Cape Cod. I never want to eat out. It is so much more fun to eat at home: private, quiet/or loud you choose! In a dune or in the woods. Yay summer. Happy summer solstice.
congrats on learning and trying something new, Tammy!
we love sharing recipes, Lee
My friend Lyle and his partner Brian recently visited the farm and ended up having a picture taken with you (the Fabulous Beekman Boys) …
You should get a recipe from Lyle for your site!
My husband is working out of town this summer and, thus, I am in charge of the garden. He has been on me when he comes home on weekends that I am not keeping up on the garlic (I never even knew what a scape was!) Now that I have a wonderful pesto recipe to use them in ( we love pesto) it will motivate me to keep up on it! Thanks.
I LOVE reading about your garden!!!!
Oh, my! That sounds amazing – guess garlic (and garlic scapes) will be on my list for the garden next year – assuming I don’t break my wrist prior to planting one like this year – GAH! I’ll just enjoy your recipe and story vicariously until then…
Thanks for sharing, Amy. Glad to hear you have a bountiful crop this year
As a small garlic grower, we are right in the midst of garlic scape madness!
I, too, remove the pod as I had read that it tastes bitter.
For our scape pesto, we use either pistachios, pignoli, almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts. We don’t even use basil as the scapes themselves take the place of both garlic and basil as they are so fresh and green.
I whir the scapes, nuts and olive oil in the food processor, and then add freshly-grated romano cheese by hand so that we have a nice chunky consistency.
Add sea salt to taste.
Our favorite pasta salad is pesto over rotini, with cherry tomatoes, served at room temp.
Also, I chop the scapes and freeze them, then make pesto in the middle of winter! LOVE IT!
I have never made pesto but I love it. I do have basil so maybe I will try it with pasta.
A few pounds of pecans? what a fantastic gift!
Just cut my scapes today and planned on something with chicken and pasta – will give this a whirl and am pleased to see someone recommend pecans as I was just given a few pounds of GA pecans and have no hazelnuts.
You got to meet Tab Hunter?! Seriously! Lucky Ducks!
Just cut my scapes today…making an herb and scape spread with homemade cream cheese.
Just so happens I was given a nice big bag of garlic scapes yesterday! Now you know what I’m having for dinner this evening.
Sounds like you guys had a truly great evening with one of Hollywood’s famed heart throbs! Hope you served some really good wine with that pesto!
I was in China last year, around Christmas, and we were served scapes at several locations around Shanghai. At first, when I ate them, I thought they were just very garlic-y green beans, but then under closer examination, I figured out that they were shoots. I have NEVER had anything so delicious, and now I’m trying to grow them in my garden… this is my first garlic year, so I’m hoping that next early summer, I’ll be stuffing my smelly face.
When I had them in China, they were stir fried with some red pepper strips (sweet, not hot), and almonds or peanuts. Just amazing!
As a hazelnut grower, I love to see recipes that utilize hazelnuts! Thank you!
Interesting, Shira. We always removed the pod cuz we read to once. But we’ll try it with pod upon your recommendation!
Why do you remove the flower pod? I never have, (and have never heard this) so I’m curious. I always just chop up the whole thing, and use whatever nuts I have on hand, my favorite is pecan.