Author Notes: A crisper drawer full of scapes had me desperate. Despite my best efforts to use them all, the pile was growing. I stole my husband’s favorite brewing spice, grains of paradise, and took out my anger via mortar and pestle. Grains of paradise has a light peppery finish, with a touch of astringency.
—Hilarybee
Makes: 1/2 cup
Ingredients
-
6-7
Garlic Scapes, chopped
-
1
teaspoon capers, (packed in water or oil)
-
1
Lemon, zested and juiced
-
1/4
cup Good Olive Oil
-
1/4
teaspoon Grains of Paradise
-
Pinch of Sea Salt
Directions
- Chop the garlic scapes into small segments. Combine the scapes, capers, lemon zest, grains of paradise and sea salt in a food processor or a mortar. If food processor, pulse until it is a chunky paste. Process more if you want a smoother consistently. If using a mortar, beat and mash vigorously with pestle. Mortar and Pestle is a great stress reliever if you’ve had a really bad day.
- Add two tablespoons of lemon juice and beat the ingredients with the pestle some more. Drizzle in the olive oil; mash everything until it is thick and thoroughly combine. There will still be some larger chunks of scapes. I like the chunks- if you don’t, keep mashing! If using a food processor, drizzle the olive oil while pulsing.
- Use as a marinade, a bruschetta topping. Put this in your minestrone or a soup that needs a little punch. Brightens up poultry.