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ITEMS
Garlic Scapes
Italian Basil
Red Radishes
Granola
Plain Yogurt
Loose Leaf Tea
PRODUCERS
Chance Farm - Bozeman
Lifeline Farm - Victor
Amaltheia Organic Produce - Belgrade
On the Rise Bakery - Bozeman / Gluten-free Prairie - Manhattan
Kalispell Kreamery - Kalispell
Steep Mountain Tea House - Bozeman
Butter-Braised Radishes with Garlic-Herb Yogurt
Adapted from Christopher Kimball's Milk Street: Vegetables. This recipe could also be used for fresh green beans, broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower. If you don't have all the herbs called for, feel free to make substitutions, or use more of what you do have. Makes ~4 servings.
1/2 C plain yogurt (Greek full-fat is best)
1/4 C chives, finely chopped
2 Tbs mint, finely chopped
2 Tbs dill, finely chopped
2 Tbs basil, chiffonade (stack leaves, roll up stem to tip, and slice to make ribbons)
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp honey
1 garlic scape, minced (or 1 garlic clove, finely grated)
2 Tbs salted butter, cut into 2-3 chunks
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb red radishes, halved or quartered if large (or whichever vegetable you choose to use)
In a bowl, combine the yogurt, chives, mint, dill, lemon juice, honey, oil, and garlic scape. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside. (I recommend warming up the honey and mixing it with the lemon juice and oil until it's mostly dissolved, then mixing it with the yogurt. Otherwise it may not mix well.)
In a dutch oven or other wide pan with a lid, bring 1/2 C water, 1/2 tsp salt, and butter to a boil. Stir in the radishes, cover, and cook until just tender when pierced with a knife, ~4 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Uncover and increase heat to high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates and radishes begin to sizzle, ~5 more minutes. Transfer to a platter or serving bowl, if you wish. Serve with a hefty drizzle of the yogurt mixture and basil ribbons.
Garlic Scapes + Scape & Basil Pesto
Garlic scapes are the flower stalks of hard-necked garlic varieties. They emerge from the top of the stem and begin to curl as they mature. Left on the plant, the bulge on the tapered end of the scape eventually forms into a flower, blooms, and sets seeds. Scapes are cut off before this happens to ensure the plant's energy is concentrated on the formation of the garlic bulb in the ground.
Though full of garlic flavor, scapes are typically not as harsh as raw cloves of garlic, and they mellow even more when cooked. You can use scapes as an aromatic, substituting for garlic cloves ~1 scape : 1 clove. Or, treat them like a vegetable: cut to any length and add to stir-fries, pastas, salads (or pasta salads). Leave them raw for extra crunch and stronger flavor, or blanch or sauté like you would green beans or asparagus. I sometimes grill them whole, then chop them up and add to my dishes. Pesto is another great use for scapes. This recipe from Carolyn Cope (Serious Eats) makes ~1 1/2 C pesto.
1/4 C pine nuts - sub raw sunflower seeds, or perhaps walnuts
1/3 C garlic scapes, coarsely chopped
1/3 C basil, packed
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
A few generous grinds of black pepper
1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil (be sure to use an oil you like the taste of by itself that isn't too bitter)
1/4 C grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
In a small, dry pan set over very low heat, lightly toast the pine nuts, stirring or tossing occasionally until just beginning to brown, ~2-3 min. Remove from the heat and let cool somewhat.
Combine the scapes, toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse about 20 times until fairly well combined. Pour in the olive oil slowly through the feed tube while the motor is running. When the oil is incorporated, transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese. If you want to freeze the pesto, wait to add the cheese until after you've defrosted it. (You can also make pesto with a blender, or a strong arm and a mortar and pestle.)