Garlic Scapes – 2 Recipes

Garlic Scapes – 2 Recipes

I recently did a post on Garlic Scapes. At the time I didn’t know what they were but got some feedback from subscribers who were familiar with them. I found scapes at a local greenmarket and was able to try the Italy Magazine recipe that I referred to, as well as another recipe that I got at the green market. 
Here’s the recipe directly from Italy Magazine:Garlic Scapes – 2 Recipes
Ingredients
  • 1 pound (454g) garlic scapes
  • 2 cups (470g) white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Equipment: 2 sterilized pint-size (1/2 L) jars
Preparation:
  1. Cut the scapes into 2-inch (5 cm) lengths, removing any tough parts at the bottom and the thinnest part at the top above the small bulbous tip.
  2. Bring the vinegar to a boil over medium-high heat in a saucepan large enough to hold the scapes. Stir in the salt and let it dissolve. Add the scapes to the pot and cover. Boil, stirring once or twice, until the scapes have lost their bright green color, 4 to 5 minutes.Garlic Scapes – 2 Recipes
  3. Drain the scapes in a colander set in the sink. Spread them out on a clean kitchen towel and let dry for about 1 hour. Shuffle them around a few times so they dry on all sides.Garlic Scapes – 2 Recipes
  4. Pack the scapes into the jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Cover the scapes completely with oil, pressing down on the scapes to submerge them. Screw the lids on tightly and let rest at room temperature for 24 hours.
  5. Transfer the scapes to the refrigerator and let cure for one week before using. Store in the refrigerator for up to 12 weeks. To serve, remove from the jar only as many scapes as you plan to use and let them come to room temperature. Top off the jar with more oil as needed to keep the remaining scapes submerged.  Serve  on  sandwiches, in salads or in an antipasto.  Garlic Scapes – 2 Recipes

This is the recipe I got at the green market for sautéed garlic scapes:
Ingredients:
  • 1 bunch of garlic scapes
  • Olive oil for sautéing
  • Salt and black pepper
Preparation:
  1. Same as above – Cut the scapes into 2-inch (5 cm) lengths, removing any tough parts at the bottom and the thinnest part at the top above the small bulbous tip.
  2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add cut scapes and boil for 5 minutes (no need to dry them as thoroughly as above).
  3. Sauté in olive oil with salt and pepper. Serve as a  side dish, on a sandwich or in an omlette. Garlic Scapes – 2 Recipes

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Piemontese Palate

Piemontese Palate

Piemontese Palate

An interesting article from L’Italo-Americano –

The Piemontese Palate: Rich, Traditional, and Delicious

By Paula Reynolds

“There is one region, however, that is perchance lacking credit where credit is due…Piedmont/Piemonte. A northernmost province, Piedmont sits mirthfully tucked in the north-west cuff of the boot, sharing the largest portion of its border with France. The capital city of Turin is potentially the best-known in the region, her accolades to include Fiat and The Shroud. However, there are many gastronomic wonders to be found throughout the smorgasbord of culinary richness that is the Piemontese palate. . . “
Read the complete article here.

Piemontese Palate

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New York Restaurants and Covid 19

New York Restaurants and COVID 19

New York Restaurants and COVID 19New York Restaurants and COVID 19
We had dinner on Broadway. I mean really on Broadway, right in the street. The City has granted restaurant owners the right to set up tables in what used to be the parking lane in the street fronting their restaurants.

We ate at Telio, one of our favorite locals. They went a step further and had a singer at dinnertime. The whole scene was very festive.New York Restaurants and COVID 19

On some avenues, there’s a bike lane between the curb and the parking lane, so ‘Watch Out.’New York Restaurants and COVID 19New York Restaurants and COVID 19

Some of them have gotten very creative and set up platforms, colorful barriers and planters under canopies and umbrellas that look like a small  oasis.New York Restaurants and COVID 19New York Restaurants and COVID 19New York Restaurants and CORVID 19
I don’t suppose this will work well in winter, but for now it offers an opportunity to eat out without going into a restaurant.

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Sweet Tea and Bourbon Cocktail

Sweet Tea and Bourbon Cocktail


Sweet tea and Bourbon are two favorite Southern drinks. Put them together and you’ve got a perfect Southern summer cocktail.
Let’s start with the sweet tea. If you don’t already have a recipe try this –
  • 3 tea bags
  • 2 tbs. sugar (or to your taste)
  • Juice from 1/2 lemon
  • A few mint leaves
Fill a 16 ounce measuring cup 8 ounces of boiling water. Add 3 teabags, sugar, lemon juice, and mint. Remove the bags when the tea is good and dark. Fill the measuring cup with ice and when it melts strain the tea into a liter bottle. Top it off with cold water and refrigerate.
Now the cocktail –

  • 1 ½ oz. Bourbon
  • 4 oz. sweet tea
Pour the Bourbon and tea over ice in a rock glass. Garnish with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint.

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Garlic Scapes

Garlic Scapes

I’ve never heard of ‘garlic scapes’ and don’t know where to find them but here’s a recipe that I’d like to try.  An article in Italy Magazine explains it.

Zolle Sott’Olio | Pickled Garlic Scapes in Oil

by Domenica Marchetti

“Zolle sott’olio ~ pickled garlic scapes preserved in oil ~ are a specialty of Sulmona, a picturesque medieval city ringed by mountains in Abruzzo. The city is mostly famous for confetti, those candy-coated almond confections you see at Italian weddings, and for being the birthplace of the poet Ovid. . .”
See the whole article and recipe here. Garlic Scapes

 

Garlic Scapes

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Purslane

Purslane

Purslane

The West 97th Street Green Market was set up for social distancing. The sidewalk was marked with chalk to indicate where to form lines and keep 6 feet between customers. All of the vendors wore masks and gloves.

Purslane

Purslane

Purslane


I was at the West 97th Street Green Market when I came across purslane, a type of greens I’d never seen or heard of before. It’s common in Spain, Greece, and Italy and is a good source of omega-3 and other vitamins and minerals. Purslane is also known as hogweed, pusley, and fatweed. It’s tender enough to use raw in salads. It also works it in stews and frittatas. This recipe for a simple side dish is the one given to me by the farmers who grew it.
Purslane
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups purslane
  • 1 clove  garlic, smashed
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper to taste
Put 1 cup of water and a garlic clove in a frying pan. Turn the heat to medium-high.
Purslane
When the water boils, add the purslane, and reduce the heat to low. Cover the frying pan and keep cooking for 6-7 minutes. If the Purslane has woody stems cook it a little longer.
Remove it from the heat, drain, and season with salt, pepper and a good drizzle of olive oil, Sprinkle with  Parmesan just before serving.
 

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Hot Chocolate and the Pirate

Hot Chocolate and the Pirate

From a article in Atlas Obscura –

A Pirate Botanist Helped Bring Hot Chocolate to England

William Hughes was a buccaneer with an early recipe for “the American Nectar.”

by Reina Gattuso


“. . . If you had met him the year his famous book was published, you might have mistaken William Hughes for a mild-mannered gardener. By that time, he had settled into his role at the country estate of the Viscountess Conway, a noblewoman and philosopher, and had published a book on grapevines. But the old man was more than a tottering plant enthusiast. When his treatise on New World botany, The American Physitian, dropped in 1672, its contents revealed a swashbuckling history. . .”
Hot Chocolate and the Pirate

Complete article here.Hot Chocolate and the Pirate

 

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Pollo alla Potentina

Pollo alla Potentina

Pollo alla Potentina is a stewed chicken dish from the Basilicata region of Italy. My father’s parents were born there in a town called Laurenzana. The cuisine of Basilicata is typically highly spiced. You can use more than 3 chilis or leave then out. It’s up to you.Pollo alla Potentina
Ingredients:

• 1 chicken cut into 10 pieces
• 3 tsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1large onion, sliced
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 3 bird’s eye or Calabrese chilis, seeded and minced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 28 oz. canned whole tomatoes roughly crushed
• 2 tbsp chopped basil
• 2tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Juice of 1 lemon

Brown the chicken in a pot with the butter and oil and remove.
Pollo alla Potentina
Add the onion to the pot and cook until it’s slightly browned. Next, pour in the wine and deglaze the pan. Add the minced pepper, tomato, and salt. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour, adding water if liquid gets too low.
Stir in basil, parsley and lemon juice and serve.

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Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

After almost 3 months of not eating in a restaurant they’ve finally begun to reopen. We went to one of our neighborhood favorites, Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar. Even with our masks on the waiters and the manager recognized us when we arrived. We were all glad to see one another after so long. Rather than paper and ink the menu was electronic. And water was served in individual sealed bottles. The only seating (tables 6 ft. apart) was outside but the weather was great so no problem there. They always had a partially enclosed outdoor seating, but they added more tables right up to the curb. The City relaxed its outdoor seating regulations for restaurants.

Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

The Digital Menu


Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

Gus lowered his mask for a photo.


Trattoria il Gusto Wine BarTomato spread – better than butter.


Trattoria il Gusto Wine BarAppetizers


Trattoria il Gusto Wine BarEntrées


Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

Waiting for tables.


Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar

Trattoria il Gusto Wine Bar
(212) 579 7970
625 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10024

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