Have you tried garlic scapes yet? Garlic scapes are the stems (or "flowering stalks") of hardneck garlic. I only discovered these cute and tasty items last summer at the farmers' market.
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We bought some and just sauteed them in a little olive oil. They were delicious -- garlicky and peppery and fresh. So this year when I found them, I scooped up a couple bunches and decided to incorporate them into a pasta dish along with some little summer squash we bought.
I wanted to turn the garlic scapes into a sauce rather than leave them in pieces in the dish. What I imagined was pasta that was completely coated in the garlic flavor (my husband and I really love garlic). I decided to make the scapes into a pesto.
The pesto was packed full of flavor and it was such a great summery pasta dinner, especially with the sauteed summer squash. I used a yellow squash and one that was light green. So grab some garlic scapes from your garden or local farmers' market before it's too late. They are one of those fleeting produce treats that come only once a year.
The below recipe will serve four people and you will probably have some leftover pesto. Use it for a dip or spread it on a sandwich. Isn't the color lovely?