What's Cooking Wednesday - Sublime Spring Lunch

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It's garlic scapes season. What are garlic scapes, you might ask? They are little blades of goodness whose flavor rests between yes, garlic, and maybe spring onions. They're milder than both, and fabulous in all sorts of dishes and sauces. They look like this:



I wanted a lunch that would showcase the taste of the mild scapes, so I came up with this:



Strawberry-Mint Salad with Garlic Scape Tostada

For the Salad:

Ingredients:

a handful of fresh, local, spring greens or lettuce
5 - 6 large mint leaves
1 large radish or 2 smaller radishes
5 - 6 fresh, local strawberries (if possible)
1/2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1/2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning

1. Grab a handful of fresh spring greens, preferably from at least two heads of lettuce. Rinse and tear into bite-sized pieces.
2. Chop 5 - 6 good sized leaves of fresh mint and sprinkle it over the lettuce.
3. Slice a large radish or two smaller radishes. Scatter over the top of the salad.
4. Slice 5 - 6 fresh strawberries. Scatter those over the top of the salad.
5. Take 1/2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 TBS fruity balsamic vinegar and 1/4 tsp Montreal Steak seasoning. Whisk together until vinaigrette is formed. Drizzle over the salad.



For the "Tostada" (I'm calling this a tostada, but it's really just a soft taco, served open-faced):

Ingredients:

8 chopped garlic scapes
1 egg
1 egg white
a little buttermilk, cream or half and half to taste
1 corn tortilla
a few sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 TBS sour cream (give or take - I used reduced fat)

1. Heat a little olive oil in a pan on medium heat.
2. Add about 8 chopped garlic scapes - chop them fairly fine, but don't mince them.
3. Saute until garlic smell is released and they turn bright green.
4. Beat an egg, an egg white and a little buttermilk or cream or half and half if you have it and if you want to (I used a little lowfat buttermilk).
5. Turn heat to medium low and add eggs. Scramble together until the eggs are just set.
6. Heat a corn tortilla using whatever method you usually use (I wrapped mine in a paper towel and zapped it for 30 seconds).
7. Spread tortilla on a plate, place egg mixture on tortilla, sprinkle with fresh, chopped cilantro and a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy: