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1What to do with garlic scapes? Have you made pesto with them and want to try something else? Excellent, because I have a quick garlic scape dip for you today! Garlic scapes, white beans, a few seasonings, and a food processor are all you need to make a great, healthy dip full of green, garlicky flavor of scapes while taming that flavor with the earthy, creamy beans.
Every year I (not so) patiently wait for garlic scape season and it is almost upon us as I write this! 🙂
While pesto is one of the easiest, and most popular, ways to use scapes, I like to try different recipes with them. I tend to save making pesto for when I want to freeze scapes for the off season.
Basically, if you want a garlicky flavor in a dish, you can use garlic or you can use garlic scapes. With the added benefit that they’re green, which brings some nice color to recipes. So, I will make a Sausage and Garlic Scape Risotto, or I’ll add them to something I’m sauteing for dinner, or we’ll throw them on the grill and have them with our steak. There are many ways to use garlic scapes!
And this recipe for garlic scape dip is one of my favorites! It’s easy, tasty, healthy, makes a great snack, and allows the great flavor of the scapes to come through without being overwhelming.
How do we tame the garlic scapes?
- First, the beans. The ratio of the beans to the garlic scapes keeps them from taking over.
- Second, blanching the scapes. As with garlic cloves, a dip in boiling water takes the edge off of garlic scapes, making for a mellower, milder flavor.
Though I will say that blanching is not for everyone! How much garlic flavor do you want? And how many people are you going to be breathing near the next day?
These are important questions and ones only you can answer. I personally prefer garlic scapes blanched in my bean dip. But I also prefer to blanch garlic cloves when I am using them in dips and pestos.
Because I love garlic as much as the next Italian-American girl, but I don’t want it to take over. Not even when I’m making garlic scape dip! 🙂 Mellow it out a bit and then everything is in balance.
So, get to the farmer’s market, pull out your food processor, and toast up some flatbread! The weather is nice and garlic scapes are in season. It’s time to turn some garlic scapes into yummy dip.
– Happy Dip Making, Annemarie
- 1 cup garlic scapes
- 2 15-oz cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil and set out a bowl of ice water. Add the garlic scapes to the pot and boil for 30 seconds. Drain and plunge the scapes into the ice water. Roughly chop most of the scapes and finely chop a few for topping the dip.
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Add the garlic scapes, white beans, olive oil, water, and parsley to a food processor (or blender) and process until smooth. Add more water if it's too thick. Taste the dip and add salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve topped with some garlic scapes, chopped parsley, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oi.
- When using garlic scapes, only use the smooth stem part of the scape. Cut them just before they flare out into a bulb and then start to taper down.
- You can find garlic scapes at specialty food markets and farmer's markets.
- If you can't find garlic scapes, use 2-3 cloves of blanched garlic and the green parts of 2 green onions in their place. It will be a spicier dip (with the onions), but still very tasty.
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