Garlic's Cooler Cousins

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Well, just kidding... these garlic-like spring veggies definitely *aren't* cooler than garlic itself. We LOVE garlic and truly can't get enough of it–omitting it from a recipe is something we'll never condone. However, using some of these seasonal offshoots of garlic certainly add a little pizzazz to your dish! Here are some of our favorite ways to use garlic chives, green garlic, and garlic scapes. 

Garlic chives, common in Chinese cooking, look similar to the typical chives you'll find in grocery stores around here. Some varieties flower (like those shown here), while others don't. Chop them up and use them any place you'd use chives, though these will pack a garlicky punch! 

We like to put garlic chives into these Garlic Chive & Pork Potstickers or make them into compound butter (recipes below), but there are so many other ways to use them! Add to potato salad or mashed potatoes, homemade ranch dressing... 

Garlic Chive & Pork Potstickers 

You'll need:

• 6 oz ground pork
• 1 Tbsp minced ginger
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup garlic chives, chopped
• 14 dumpling wrappers

Instructions: 

• In a bowl, combine pork, 1 Tbsp water, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic & half of garlic chives
• Fill a small bowl with water and line up dumpling wrappers on countertop
• Place about 3/4 Tbsp of pork mixture in middle of each wrapper
• Wet your index finger with water and trace along edges of the wrappers, then fold in half
• over pork and press edges to seal
• Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a sauté pan with a lid over med-high
• Add potstickers and fry for about 2–3 min, or until bottoms are golden brown
• Add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup water into the pan, enough to reach 1/4 of the way up the potstickers, then cover and let steam 3–5 min, until water is mostly evaporated
• Garnish with remaining garlic chives and serve with your favorite dipping sauce

Garlic Chive Compound Butter

You'll need:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 3 tsp minced garlic chives
• Zest of 1 lemon
• salt & pepper

Instructions: 

• Let butter sit out at room temp to soften
• In a small bowl, mix with remaining ingredients until fully incorporated
• Serve with grilled meats, spread onto toast (hello, easy garlic bread!), or use anywhere you'd use plain 'ole butter

Green garlic is actually just young garlic! Garlic is typically harvested in the summer, while green garlic is harvested early, in the spring. Unlike mature garlic, there's no papery outer layer that needs to be peeled off, and the long necks are tender and can be eaten along with the bulb.  

It has a milder flavor than the garlic bulbs you find at the grocery store and can be used in recipes in place of onions, scallions, or shallot. We really like it in the Green Garlic Confit and Green Garlic Salmon recipes below! You can also use it in place of onions, shallots, or scallions in any recipe.

Green Garlic Confit

You'll need:

• 3 stalks green garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• A pinch of salt

Instructions:

• Add all ingredients to a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over low heat
• Continue cooking for about 30 min, until garlic is very tender
• Taste and add more salt to taste
• Serve spread on toast topped with a fried egg or crisp radish

Green Garlic Salmon

You'll need:

• 1 stalk green garlic
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 x 5 oz salmon fillets
• 1/4 cup white wine
• Salt & pepper

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Trim very bottom root from green garlic, then cut in half lengthwise and very thinly slice white & light green parts (discard darker green stalks)
• Place butter in a baking dish and put in the oven to melt
• Pat salmon dry and season with salt & pepper
• Remove baking dish from oven and whisk in white wine & green garlic, then add salmon and turn to coat all sides
• Return to oven and bake 10-12 min, until cooked through
• Serve salmon with pan sauce atop couscous or quinoa and alongside roasted veggies

This curly bunch of garlic scapes is really just the soft stems of hardneck garlic plants! When fresh, garlic scapes have a crisp, crunchy texture akin to that of green beans, but you can chop them and sauté for a softer texture. The flavor is mild with a touch of sweetness, similar to chives. Below are recipes for Garlic Scape Pesto and Garlic Scape Aioli, but they're also great chopped up and tossed into a stir fry or just grilled whole. To make a pretty garnish, slice them very thinly lengthwise and put into a bowl of ice water–they'll curl up into a beautiful little topping for you meal!

Garlic Scape Pesto

You'll need:

• 2 Tbsp garlic scapes, minced

• 2 cups fresh basil

• 1/2 cup pecans

• 1/3 cup parmesan

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 3 Tbsp lemon juice

• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth
• Mix into pasta, add to wraps or sandwiches, or use as a salad dressing

Garlic Scape Aioli

You'll need:

• 1 Tbsp garlic scapes, minced

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• Zest of half a lemon

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• Mix all ingredients together until fully incorporated

• Use on sandwiches, as a dipping sauce for artichoke hearts or fries, or serve with steak