Garlic scape soup is an easy and delicious way to cook with garlic scapes. Photo courtesy of Serious Eats.

Garlic scapes are often the very first taste of fresh garlic goodness every year and they can be cooked and prepared many different ways.

They offer a more subtle garlic flavor and aroma than cloves do, adding a litlle versatility to the ways that scapes can be used as they don’t overwhelm dishes if used generously.

Like garlic bulbs, the flavor and consistency of garlic scapes change as they mature and they can tend to get a little tough when they’ve grown for awhile.

Scapes can be frozen and enjoyed later — unlike garlic heads or cloves, which don’t fare well in the freezer — and dishes such as this garlic scape soup recipe are a great way to use up a lot of scapes if you have extra and worry about them getting too old or tough.

Garlic Scape Soup Cooking Directions:

1. Wash and roughly chop scapes into 1-2″ pieces; you’ll be blending it up in a food processor later so don’t worry about appearance. You can use most of the scape but cut the heads off that have the small pods.

2. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan and cook scapes for about 10 minutes on medium heat until they are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste as they cook.

3. Add chicken stock to sauce pan and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

4. While the garlic scapes simmer, mix together the butter and milk, either with a mixer or by hand. This replaces the whipping cream or heavy cream that some recipes call for.

5. When scapes have simmered in the stock for about 20 minutes, add contents of sauce pan to a food processor and puree. Depending on the capacity and power of your food processor you may need to add in batches.

6. Blend until smooth.

7. Pour back into sauce pan and stir in your butter/milk cream. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as basil, lemon, and other herbs or spices you like. Keep on low heat until ready to serve, stirring in Parmesan cheese right before serving.

8. Enjoy!