Persian Star Garlic Scapes

 were a pleasant surprise for me to cook with. After experimenting with the Elephant Garlic Scapes, I was not sure what to expect. What I found out was that the flowers, as with the Elephant Garlic, were mild and flavorful. The Persian having more of a garlic taste, though not over whelming. 

Persian Star Garlic Scapes

The biggest difference was the stalk. Raw, the Persian has a very strong/sharp garlic almost hot finish. In my opinion they are too strong to use (raw) prominently, they could easily overpower a dish. I decided to use them as a spice to help flavor the meal I was going to prepare, Fried Rice. I used all of the flowers I had (trimmed) and 1 Tbsp. (+/-) of the stalks (diced) as an accompanying flavor in the dish. 

Persian Star (top) Elephant (bottom)

After dicing the Scape stems, I put up the excess in two smaller air tight glass containers, froze one and put the other in my fridge door spice rack for later use. 
Fresh & frozen diced Scape stems

My second use of the diced Scape stalks was in an omelet, wow! how the essence of the Scape changed. By cooking the stalks, the characteristic taste mellows. Bringing in another subtle quality to the palate adding depth to your creation. 

I plan on experimenting with the diced stalks in the coming months and to gauge how well they will freeze over time. Hoping that they will maintain their wonderful flavors after storage.

When I was talking with the grower the other day, (Andrea @ Ballard FarmStead) she commented that she uses the diced Persian stalks to make a compound butter. Great idea, something for me to experiment with and report on latter. Stay tuned...

Enjoy

W

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