Seinfeld fans will remember the whole episode about those Mackinaw peaches, which hailed from Oregon and were only in season for two glorious, juicy summer weeks (and then Kramer lost his sense of taste for those two weeks, yadda yadda yadda, Newman ate the last peach).
While the Mackinaw peach, as it turns out, is wholly fictional, there are a lot of other items that will only make a short, fleeting appearance in your grocery store — blink and you might miss them. Example: garlic scapes. You may have seen masses of these weird, bright green curly stalks piled up in your produce section lately. I would advise that you jump on that business now, as, like the Mackinaw peach, garlic scapes (which usually show up mid-June) come and go within a matter of weeks.
These stalks grow out of the garlic bulb as it matures underground, and are delicious when young and tender, characterized by a milder flavour like a cross between a green onion and a garlic clove, with a texture closer to asparagus. They are fabulous simply tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled until slightly charred, but I think they’re best used raw, chopped up as a garnish for salads or pasta — or even better, used as a base for a chimichurri or a pesto.
If you’ve got a food processor, the pesto recipe below can be whipped up super fast, but you can still make this summery, chunky pesto by good old fashioned chopping. This one uses sunflower seeds, but lightly toasted pine nuts or almonds would also make good substitutes. Also, you could throw in a handful of your favourite green herb — basil, cilantro or parsley, for example — to complement the flavours.
Once you’ve got it made, you can store it in your fridge for a few weeks or freeze it. Suggested uses: tossed with pasta for a quick, light dinner; spooned on top of grilled seafood, tossed with just-steamed baby potatoes for a warm potato salad; spread on flatbread and toasted for a bright, green-hued garlic bread; used as a marinade for meats and grilled vegetables; or spread on sandwiches.
Garlic Scape Pesto
12-14 garlic scapes, cut into 2 inch lengths *
handful fresh herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro — optional)
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano
1/3 cup raw hulled sunflower seeds, lightly toasted*
1/2 cup olive oil
Kosher salt
* if you don’t have a food processor, just chop the scapes finely and crush the sunflower seeds roughly in a mortar and pestle
1. To toast seeds, set them out in a single layer in a small pan over medium heat, tossing as necessary until lightly toasted. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn. Allow to cool.
2. Pulse scapes (and herbs, if using) in food processor until finely chopped. Add cheese and toasted sunflower seeds and pulse until chopped and uniformly chunky. Stream in olive oil while processor is running until emulsified, then remove to a bowl. Season with salt to taste.
Sara Chan is a Toronto-based entertainment lawyer, food enthusiast, unprofessional home chef and even less professional food photographer. Her favourite food group is pork. Sara’s column appears every other Tuesday here on lawandstyle.ca.
Photo by Julie Magro