Stir-Fried Garlic Scapes with Bacon

At this Sunday's Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market, be sure to snatch up some of the spring's fleeting treats, including Tiger Lily Art Company's springtime blossoms and Camas Swale Farm's garlic scapes.

Garlic scapes or whistles are the garlic plant stalks that are harvested to direct the plants' growth into the bulbs. They have a very mild garlic flavor and are delicious roasted on a sheet pan with zucchini or grilled and incorporated into salsa. For inspiration for last week's bunch, I turned to Fuchsia Dunlop's Every Grain of Rice, which had a recipe for stir-fried garlic stems with bacon (she also has a vegetarian version with mushrooms). I had fewer garlic stems than needed, so I added edamame beans, and I adjusted the recipe for fattier American-style bacon. The pairing of smoky bacon with sweet garlic scapes was a delicious addition to a post-market feast. 

Stir-Fried Garlic Scapes with Bacon

adapted from Fuchsia Dunlop's Every Grain of Rice

250 g garlic scapes (about 3 bunches), or substitute in some edamame beans
3 thin slices of bacon
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil

1. Trim off the blossom tips and any fibers bases of the garlic scapes and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths. Cut the bacon crosswise into thin strips. If using frozen edamame beans, cook them in salted boiling water for about 4 minutes and drain.

2. Heat a skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add the bacon slices and cook until they are crisped and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon to a bowl and pour off all but 2 Tbsp of the rendered bacon fat. 

3. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the garlic scapes. Stir-fry until they are just tender and started to wrinkle. Add the edamame beans if using, soy sauce, and reserved bacon and stir to mix. Taste and add salt if desired. Remove from the heat, stir in the sesame oil, and serve.

Roasted Garlic Whistles and Zucchini

The sixth season of the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market kicked off last weekend with a bounty of spring produce from Good Food Easy at Sweetwater Farm and a wide selection of pastured meats from Fair Valley Farm.

One spring treat to pick up this Sunday is a bunch of garlic whistles or scapes. Last year I discovered that these are delicious grilled in salsa, but last Sunday, since I had the oven on for baking bread, I decided to toss my newly acquired garlic whistles in olive oil and salt on a sheet pan like kale chips. I added some baby zucchini slices to the pan for the last few minutes. The final dish was a delicious contrast in textures, with the garlic whistles adding the perfect, subtle punch of flavor to the delicate zucchini.

We had our roasted vegetable with these favorite sausages made with Fair Valley lamb, crunchy, farm fresh carrots and cucumbers, and mujaddara and spiced yogurt. It was a feast fit for celebrating the beginning of summer and the local farmers who feed us.

Roasted Garlic Whistles and Zucchini

1 bunch garlic whistles (scapes)
4-6 small zucchini
drizzle of olive oil
generous sprinkle of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place in a sheet pan. Rinse the garlic whistles, trim off their ends, and slice into 1 1/2 inch lengths. Transfer to a mixing bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt. Rinse the zucchini, trim off their ends, cut in half lengthwise and cut widthwise into 1/2 inch half moons. When the oven is hot, spread the oiled garlic whistles on the hot sheet pan and return to the oven. Toss the zucchini slices in the oily bowl, adding a sprinkle of salt and a bit more oil if needed to coat them. Roast the garlic whistles for about 7 minutes until they have started to char. Toss them in the pan and add the zucchini slices. Roast for another 3 minutes. Toss to flip the zucchini and roast them another minute or more if needed, until they have acquired some nice brown spots. Remove from the pan and serve. 

Grilled Garlic Whistle Salsa

This Sunday at at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market, you can look forward to a selection of pastured chicken and grass-fed lamb cuts from Fair Valley Farm and beautiful fresh cut flower bouquets from Tiger Lily Art Company. Good Food Easy at Sweetwater Farm will have the following offerings: 

Fresh
Leeks, scallions, baby stalks of garlic and garlic whistles, also called scapes (try in salsa)
Anaheim and poblano chile peppers and some early tomatoes
Artichokes, baby beets, and kohlrabi (try grilled kohlrabi)
New potatoes, cauliflower and broccoli
Carrots, summer squash, and cucumbers (try these tsukemono pickles from Ume Grill)
Chard, collard greens, and kale
Fresh herbs (basil, oregano, sage, thyme) and home-grown lemon grass!!
Lettuce, including ready-to-eat bagged mix (make some lettuce wraps)
Cherries and Blenheim apricots (from Washington)

Preserves, Beans, and Grains
From Sweet Creek Foods:
Dill Pickles, Chili Dill Pickles, Bread 'N Butter Pickles, Pickle Relish
Blueberry, Strawberry, Blackberry, and Raspberry Fruit Spreads
Enchilada Sauce and Salsa
From SLO Farm: Applesauce
Assorted beans and grains from Camas Country Mill

Before their season is over, be sure to try some of these crazy spiraling garlic whistles (also called scapes). One way to soften their stalks and temper their garlic punch is to  grilled or seared them on a hot skillet.

Once charred and diced into rounds, these make a delicious garnish for tacos and add a smoky punch to your favorite tomato salsa.

Grilled Garlic Whistle Salsa

1 bunch garlic whistles (also called scapes)
1 jalapeño pepper
1 15 ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes (or fresh or frozen tomatoes)
1 bunch cilantro
salt to taste

1. Heat a grill or a large cast iron skillet and throw on the garlic whistles and the jalapeño. Cook, turning occasionally, until they are charred and fragrant. Trim off the garlic scape blossom tips and cut the stalks into small rounds. Stem and seed the jalapeño and dice.

2. In a blender or food processor, blend together the tomatoes and cilantro. Add salt to taste. Stir in the chopped charred garlic scales and jalapeño in batches and taste until it's to your liking (save any unused scapes and jalapeño for taco garnish). Enjoy.

Spicy Lamb Sausages

This Fathers Day at the Fairmount Neighborhood Farmers Market, you can look forward to a selection of pastured chicken and grass-fed lamb cuts from Fair Valley Farm.
Good Food Easy at Sweetwater Farm will have the following offerings: 

Fresh
Leeks, scallions, baby stalks of garlic and garlic whistles, also called scapes (try in pesto)
Strawberries, available by the flat for $32 (make some retro tapioca flamingo pudding)
Artichokes and fava beans (large and baby)
Baby beets, turnips, and kohlrabi (try these brown butter turnips)
New potatoes (make potato salad with yogurt and horse radish)
Cauliflower and broccoli
Carrots, summer squash, and cucumbers (try Vietnamese spring rolls)
Chard, collard greens, and kale (make chips)
Fresh herbs (basil, oregano, sage, thyme) plus home-grown lemon grass!!
Lettuce, including ready-to-eat bagged mix

Preserves
From Sweet Creek Foods:
Dill Pickles, Chili Dill Pickles, Bread 'N Butter Pickles, Pickle Relish
Blueberry, Strawberry, Blackberry, & Raspberry Fruit Spreads
Enchilada Sauce and Salsa
From SLO Farm: Applesauce

Bean and Grains
Sweetwater Farm's polenta and cornmeal!
Assorted beans and grains from Camas Country Mill

For a Fathers Day or graduation celebration, I can highly recommend these spicy lamb sausages made with ground lamb from Fair Valley Farm. We had them last week with bread starter naan and grilled fava beans with sliced garlic whistles in place of the regular garlic.

These sausages also go wonderfully with mujaddara and spiced yogurt, shown below with an early attempt at no knead bread made with bread starter. This Sunday the whole family will be attending graduation in full academic regalia (or Harry Potter robes), and after teaching Bread 101, I think that I should wear an extra tassel of a head of wheat.

Spicy Lamb Sausages

adapted from David Tanis, makes 8 sausages

1 lb ground lamb

1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp cardamom seeds (from the inside of the green pods)
pinch cinnamon
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste
several grindings of freshly ground black pepper
plenty of salt

1. Spice the ground lamb at least 2 hours before cooking or preferably overnight, to allow the flavors to blend. Use a spice mill or mortar and pestle to grind cumin, coriander,and cardamom seeds. In a mixing bowl combine the ground spices with the lamb, salt, cinnamon, paprika, and cayenne. Mix well with hands to incorporate. If you like, fry a little piece of the mixture in a small skillet, taste for seasoning and adjust salt. Refrigerate the spiced lab until you are ready to cook. Then form into 8 patties.

2. Light a charcoal grill or use a grill pan. The heat should be moderate. Grill sausages, in batches if necessary until just cooked through. Serve warm.