What are Garlic Scapes, and what do I do with them?

by chefbikeski Posted on July 29, 2011

 

Garlic Scapes

Garlic is a key ingredient in my cooking both here and in Italy. There is hardly a sauce, soup, or pasta that doesn’t include it. And it seems to have found it’s way into every region of Italy. In the Veneto region that we visit on our bike and hike tours, the Polesine area is renowned for it’s white garlic, protected by an official DOP designation.

This time of year, however, my use of garlic turns to the ‘scapes’. Garlic scapes have recently found there way to my local farmstands and farmer’s markets here in the US. Every year, when they appear, I hear many customers asking “What do I do with these?” The answer is always the same – use it in a stir fry. Actually, this is the answer whenever anyone asks “What do I do with X?”, X being garlic scapes, kohlrabi, anything unfamiliar!

Garlic

So, what are garlic scapes?

Garlic scapes are the curled flower stalks of the hardneck varieties are garlic that are grown in colder climates. This round green stem grows up from the bulb, growing to about 2 feet in length and beginning to curl in on itself. They are cut off by the farmer to promote better bulb growth, and so are available in early summer only. They are crunchy, with a mild garlicky flavor. They keep for a while in your refrigerator.

What do I do with garlic scapes?

Chopping scapes for pesto

Well, besides the stir fry, or chopped up fine to add a bit of garlic flavor to a salad, you can use them raw to flavor a fritatta or omelet, or a pizza. But my favorite thing to do with garlic scapes is to make a pesto out of them. This is a very simple puree of scapes with olive oil. I then can freeze it in large spoonfuls, and have this available all winter long. I don’t make a ‘full’ pesto with nuts and cheese; I can always add these later as I use the pesto, and this allows me the flexibility to add different nuts, use different cheeses, or eliminate the nuts for guests with food allergies.

What can I do with garlic scape pesto?

Here’s a list, with more to come:

Tomato, cucumber and fennel salsa flavored with garlic scape pesto over striped bass

Crostini
Pizza
Flavor a pasta
Mix with other herbs for different pestos (basil, mint, chive…)
Flavor a soup
Flavor a risotto
Flavor grilled or steamed vegetables
Make a sauce for fish or chicken – mix in other herbs, chopped capers

Garlic Scape Pesto

This is not your standard pesto with nuts and cheese; it is even simpler. I basically puree the scapes with olive oil – that’s it. Every spring I make a huge batch of this, and freeze it, either in ice cube trays, mini muffin cups, or just spoon out tablespoons onto a sheet pan. After the cubes are frozen, I wrap each in a small piece of plastic wrap, and then place a few wrapped cubes in a vacuum freezer bag, or a small ziplock with the air squeezed out. I pull one or two out when I am ready to use it; they only take a few minutes to defrost. I’ll add nuts and cheese only when I am ready to serve it as pesto; that way, I can use whatever nuts I wish; walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, and I can experiment with different cheeses, parmesan, pecorino, or aged asiago.

I make this puree to preserve lots of fresh herbs, such as basil, mint, and chives. I blanch these before using to maintain a nice bright green color, but the scapes keep a nice color even without blanching.

Makes about 1 cup

10 or so garlic scapes, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Garlic scape pesto

Put the chopped garlic scapes in a blender or food processor. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream and process until the scapes are very finely chopped, close to a puree, about 1 minute.

Cubes ready for freezer

At this point, you can place in ice cube trays or mini muffin cups to freeze. If serving immediately, you can add your favorite nuts and grated cheese (pine nuts and parmesan, for example). About 1/4 cup of each, or to your taste.

Posted in Chicken, Fish, garlic, Pasta, Pizza, Travel, Uncategorized, Veneto Food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chioggia Beet and Fennel Salad

by chefbikeski Posted on July 24, 2011
Chioggia Beet and Fennel Salad

Thanks to my local CSA, the West Newbury CSA at Long Hill Orchard and Farm, I have been enjoying Chioggia beets the past few weeks. This heirloom beet comes from the Italian coastal town of Chioggia, right outside of Venice. In fact, it is often referred to as “Little Venice”. Of course, these beets immediately attract my interest, in my efforts to research the foods and wines from Northeastern Italy for our Italiaoutdoors trips. So I’ve been selecting them every week they’ve been available.

Chioggia, "Little Venice"

This beet varietal was probably brought to the US in the 1800s by Italian immigrants. Chioggia is a coastal town, which doesn’t quite strike me as the place where beets would come from. It ends up that all beets – and this includes members of the beet family grown for their leaves, such as swiss chard, as well as those grown for their tubers – are descendants of the sea beet. The sea beet is native to the coasts of Europe, northern Africa and southern Asia. It requires moist, well-drained soils, and does not like shade. It is able to tolerate relatively high levels of sodium in its environment because its leaves are waxy, hence its ability to thrive in coastal areas. So that explains why a seaside town like Chioggia can be home to these delicious beets.

Chioggia Beets

I’ve heard that raw beets make a wonderful salad, but had never tried one, so I decided this was the time. We are currently in the throes of a heat wave, with temperatures exceeding 100°, so any recipe that does not involve heat is immediately attractive. My friends Jody Adams and Ken Rivard just started a great food blog, The Garum Factory, and did a wonderful chioggia beet salad with fennel, zucchini, blue cheese and walnuts. Jody states that she pickled the beets because raw beets are too earthy for her taste. Reading up on the chioggia beets, they supposedly have a higher content of geosmin than other beets, a compound that causes the ‘earthy’ flavor. But I had to try it at least once, and I have to say I didn’t find them too earthy at all. It remains unclear as to whether the geosmin is produced by the beet, or a result of its growing environment, so I’d suggest just tasting before deciding – if it is too earthy for you, there are lots of alternatives such as pickling or roasting.

Chioggia beets have a beautiful pink-fuschia-red color, and when sliced open display very attractive concentric rings of pink and white. Unfortunately, this ring pattern fades when they are cooked, but using them raw makes for a very pleasing dish. Many recipes for raw beets recommend grating in a food processor, but I went to a little extra effort and julienned them. With a mandolin or slicer, this is pretty quick, and really makes a nice presentation. But if you a pressed for time, the food processor will work just fine. Some fennel, a nice local goat cheese from Westfield Farm, walnuts, and a citrus dressing, and a great, quick, cool and healthy lunch.

Chioggia Beet and Fennel Salad

Serves 4

4 chioggia beets
1 head fennel
Juice of one orange
Juice of two lemons
Zest of one orange
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1/4 cup walnuts
6 cups mixed greens – lettuces, arugula
4 ounces crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons minced chives, parsley, or mint
Peeled beets

Cut the greens off the top of the beets and reserve for later use. Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler. Using a slicer or mandolin, thinly slice the beets. Stacking a few slices, use a chef’s knife to cut the beets into narrow strips. Place in a medium bowl.

Remove the fennel fronds. Remove the tough outer layers and cut in half lengthwise (from the top, where the fronds were, through the core end.) Remove the triangular shaped core at the base. Using the slicer or mandolin, thinly slice the fennel. Rinse the slices, dry with a paper towel, and slice into narrow strips, just as you did the beets. Add to the bowl with the beet strips.

Julienned beets

Place the orange juice, lemon juice, orange zest and olive oil in a small, sealable container. Shake vigorously. Season with salt. Place the walnuts on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt.

Toast in a pre-heated oven (or toaster oven, when it is 100° outside.) Allow to cool, and coarsely chop.

Place the mixed greens in a large bowl. Dress both the greens and the beet and fennel strips with the citrus vinaigrette you just made. Taste, and season each with salt if needed.

Distribute the greens on 4 plates, topping each with a quarter of the beet and fennel slaw. Top with the crumbled goat cheese, chopped walnuts, and minced chives.

Posted in beets, chioggia beets, fennel, Salad, Uncategorized, Vegetarian, Veneto Food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lageder Lagrein Rosato – a great summer rose from Alto-Adige

by chefbikeski Posted on July 21, 2011
Alois Lageder Lagrein Rosato 2010

I made a quick stop by the Lageder facility recently, as I visited the Sudtirol Wine Road in Trentino Alto-Adige. Their wines are available in the US, wonderful examples of the high quality wines this region is now producing.

Began in 1823 by Johann Lageder, who left his family home near Val Gardena (home to great skiing) and moved to Bolzano to find his fortune. He became a wheelwright and wine dealer, and his son Alois continued on in the wine business, purchasing the families first vineyard. The family first began producing Santa Magdalena and Lagrein wines from vineyards in the Santa Magdalena area, in the hills north of Bolzano.

Subsequent sons (all named Alois), became specialists in the local terroir and microclimates, as well as the indigenous varietals such as schiava (Vernatsch) and Lagrein. The family expanded their vineyard holdings, moving south to the village of Magrè, where excellent exposures produce robust reds such as Cabernet, Sauvignon and Merlot. A winemaking facility and cellars was created at the Löwengang estate in Magrè.

At the start of the 1970s, the company moved away from the then-popular bulk wines and began to bottle more of its own wines, and market them under its own Alois Lageder-label. The image of Alto Adige wines had suffered greatly as a result of years of perception as products for mass consumption. The family undertook the task of repositioning the winery, beginning initiatives to improve the quality of their wines, such as trellising on wires, and reducing yield.  In 1995, a high-tech winemaking facility and cellar complex in Magrè was constructed. Today, all of their over fifty hectares of vineyards adheres to the principles of biodynamic agriculture.

View of surrounding countryside from Bolzano

Lagrein is a red grape native to the Lagarina valley in Trentino-Alto Adige. A very distinctive, native red with strong herbal notes, it is used in red (Lagrein Scuro or Dunkel) and rosé (Lagrein Rosato or Kretzer) wines. It is a descendant of Teroldego, and related to Syrah and Pinot Noir.

I recently enjoyed the Lageder Lagrein Rosato 2010 at a recent fundraiser I worked on with the Homestead restaurant in Farmington, ME. This wine, one of my Top 10 Undiscovered Wines of Northeastern Italy, was the hit of the evening, and I was thrilled when I happened upon it recently in my favorite local gourmet store here in Newburyport, Joppa Fine Foods.

It is a wonderful dark pink color, with a hint of ruby. A very pleasant nose, berry and floral. This medium-bodied rose will stand up to some stronger flavored dishes, with a tart cherry flavor, nice acidity and persistent aftertaste with a nicely bitter finish.

I paired it with my last recipe post, a smoked salmon dish, Saumon con Verdure Mediterranee (Salmon with Mediterranean Vegetables). Fantastic foods and wines from Sudtirol!

Posted in Lagrein Rose, Lagrein Rose, Salmon, Smoked Food, Trentino Food, Uncategorized, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Saumon con Verdure Mediterranee – Great food to be had in Sudtirol

by chefbikeski Posted on July 16, 2011
Saumon con Verdure Mediterranee

I spent a couple of days earlier this month exploring the towns of Bolzano and Trento in the Sudtirol and Trentino regions of Northeastern Italy. A place absolutely worth a visit, with the magnificent Dolomites surrounding you, terraced vineyards at the base of these peaks, green fields of grapes and apple trees in all directions, and picturesque cities and hamlets reflecting history and culture of both Italy and the Mediterranean to the south, and Austria and Germany to the north.

View of surrounding countryside from Bolzano

But hidden among these natural beauties is a surprisingly innovative gastronomic scene. Sudtirol, one of the least populous regions in Italy, boasts more Michelin starred restaurants than any other region in Italy. Pair this with the sheer number, as well as quality of wines produced here, and it becomes a must-see region for active foodies. Biking along bike trails, hiking the Dolomites, skiing and winter hiking, paired with amazing foods and wines.

While winding my way from Bolzano down to Trento along the Suditrol Weinstrasse (Wine Road), I stopped at several wineries along the way. I discovered a small recipe book in one of them, a collection of regional recipes put together by three of these chefs; entitled 33x Classici delle Dolomiti. Here is the first recipe I’ve translated from it. I’ve loosely converted metric measurements to US, and added a few instructions. But it is a delicious and healthy dinner.

Trout is commonly found in the lakes in both Trentino Alto-Adige as well as Friuli-Venezia Giulia. This recipe lightly sautes trout fillets in butter, and serves it over a bed of ‘Mediterranean’ vegetables. I had smoked salmon in my refrigerator, so I substituted that. Smoked trout would also work, and it is regionally ‘correct’ as smoking trout and salmon is done in both these regions.

Fresh blanched peas

The recipe called for fava beans, which I replaced with some fresh local peas from my CSA. I topped it with arugula from the same CSA, as well as some celery leaves. We used celery leaves as a garnish a couple of time with Susan Regis on our last Chefs on Bikes tour in June; its an attractive and tasty garnish.

Saumon o Trota su Verdure Mediterranee

1 spring onion
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup white wine
1 anchovy filet
1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 small chili pepper, finely minced
10 ounces blanched fava beans, green beans or fresh peas

4 trout filets or 4 – 4 ounce pieces of smoked salmon
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter for roasting
1 sprig thyme
4 herb oil for garnish (4 parts oil to 1 part blanched basil, pureed in a blender)
1 cup watercress, arugula or celery leaves

Caramelizing sugar

Peel the onion, then cut into thin strips. Place the sugar in a medium saute pan, and caramelize the sugar over low heat, then add the white wine. Reduce the white wine by half.

Add the onion, anchovy fillet, garlic, bay leaf, a sprig of thyme and olive oil, season with salt and pepper, simmer on low heat.

Add the beans or peas and warm.

Remove any excess bones from the trout using tweezers. Season the filets with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a saute pan until just beginning to brown. Add the trout, and cook for two minutes. Turn, add the thyme, and cook for another minute.

Serve on the vegetables, and garnish with the basil oil and arugula.

Herb oil - blanched basil pureed with olive oil

The recipe suggested several alternative preparations:

instead of the beans and onions, serve in a salad of lentils
Use perch, turbot, or cod instead of trout
instead of fava beans you can use peas or green beans.

A great wine to pair with this, especially the smoked salmon version I made here – the Alois Lageder Lagrein Rosato. A wonderful, refreshing, flavorful rose with enough strength to stand up to some stronger smoke flavors.

Posted in Arugula, Fish, Fitness, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lagrein Rose, Lentils, Salmon, Smoked Food, Trentino Food, Trout, Uncategorized, Wine Pairings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Pizza Dough with Susan Regis

by chefbikeski Posted on July 10, 2011
Pizza with prosciutto, asiago and arugula

When deciding on our menu for our last Italiaoutdoors Chefs on Bikes trip with our Master Guest Chef Susan Regis, pizza was the first to be added. Although not a traditional dish of Northeastern Italy, it is commonly found all over Italy today. I’ve yet to meet someone who does not like pizza; and the options for toppings are basically limitless, although I have to admit to not being sold yet on true ‘fusion’ versions like buffalo chicken pizza! But select your favorite seasonal produce, and complement it with  cheese, perhaps a cured meat, and it’s hard to go wrong. Offer a selection of toppings in a ‘make-your-own’ party and even the pickiest eaters are happy.

A wide array of toppings

Susan makes fantastic pizzas at her restaurant Upstairs at the Square. During her stint at Biba, the Lobster Pizza was a house favorite. In Italy this past trip, she shared with us her secrets to producing a great pizza crust. We also prepared a couple of items for topping. The following day we prepared at late post-ride pizza lunch, with some wonderful varieties of pizzas!

Here’s the original recipe:

Pizza Dough

1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon fresh yeast
1 1/2 high gluten flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Additional 2 tablespoon all purpose flour for dusting

Mix first four ingredients and let rise for an hour. Add the next three ingredients to above, then add enough all purpose flour to bring dough together into a smooth, soft, but not sticky dough.

Let sit out 1 hour. Put in oiled bowl. Cover. Refrigerate overnight. Use the next day.

Now, a few things to add:

I recently made this at home, and can’t find anything in my supermarket that is ‘high-gluten’ flour. But you can purchase pure gluten, so I used 2 cups all purpose flour, and 1 tablespoon pure gluten. Bread flour, if you can find it, will have a higher gluten content than regular or pastry flour.

Gluten is a protein composite that is present in wheat, and gives dough its elasticity, helps it to rise and keep its shape when baked. We want to develop the gluten in products such as bread and pizza, but not develop it when working with pastries or cakes.

Kneading the dough (with a glass of wine nearby)

After the hour rise, we added the remaining ingredients. We then kneaded the dough for 10-15 minutes – this step is not mentioned in the recipe. Again, this is to develop the gluten, which will result in an elastic, stretchy pizza dough. Knead until soft and smooth; when done, if you poke your finger into the dough, the indentation should disappear as the dough returns to its original shape. If this doesn’t happen, you haven’t kneaded it long enough.

An overnight rise is essential; it allows the flavors to develop, and the gluten to relax. Take the dough out of the refrigerator 2 hours before making the pizza.

Dough pulled into shape

Susan recommends pulling the dough into the desired shape, rather than rolling it out. She likes the big bubbles that form on the edges, so you want to encourage those air bubbles to develop, rather than flatten them during the rolling process. So we divided the dough into 4-5 pieces and slowly pulled them into a somewhat rounded shape. The shape doesn’t need to be round; this is a rustic product! If the dough rips, just pinch it back closed.

We had some great options for toppings – fennel confit (fennel braised in oil), homemade ricotta, fresh figs, two types of prosciutto, arugula, various ages of asiago cheeses, mushrooms, honey. We started with a prosciutto, ricotta and grana pizza; then aged asiago, fig and honey. We ended up with leftovers, that made a great antipasti the following day.

Grilled pizzas

If baking in the oven, the pizza should be baked at as high a temperature as you can get it. The idea is to have the pizza cook from below; you want to place it on as hot a surface as you can possibly get. That is why a pizza stone is key to getting a good home crust. You get it nice and hot, and cook your pizza directly on top. Our challenge in Italy was 1) no stone, and 2) convection oven only. Our first crust did not crisp up like Susan wanted it too; we played around a bit with various scenarios. We ended up cooking it directly on the oven rack, making pretty much a mess of things. The result was tasty, and pretty crisp in spite of the non-ideal circumstances.

At home during the hotter summer months, we cook our pizza on the grill. We cook just the crusts first,  then take them off and top them, returning them to the grill just to melt the cheese and warm the toppings.

Suzie's fabulous bread sticks

Susan also showed us how to make breadsticks from the pizza dough. You just roll out a rectangle, cut them into thin strips, and top with grated cheese and some minced herbs – we used thyme.

Posted in antipasti, Arugula, Fitness, Pizza, Ricotta, Travel, Uncategorized, Veneto Food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment