Garlic Stems?

I know they are referred to as garlic scapes on some varieties but this is different garlic. I picked 6 head from my garden this morning and while cleaning them I felt it a waste to toss the stems as they could be of use. Can I use these in a similar way to say leeks or green onions to add a mild garlicky flavor wthout the bulb? I was planning on using them in place of green onions in my jerk chicken marinade today. Any other uses for these? They are about as big around as my fingers.

TIA!
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When I lived in Changsha, Hunan PRC our cook would loosely chop them and the wok them up with garlic and red pepper flakes. Hot and delicious.

Yes can use them like green onions, which is to say don’t overcook it. They’re highly coveted in Chinese cuisine and often used in stir frys like double cooked pork belly. Also great in sauces as well. I like them most raw and paired with Karasumi - Japanese bottarga.

They are pretty flexible. Last week I used some scapes to stuff a grilled fish. The rest I trimmed the tips and grilled w olive oil and salt… those were awesome.

Glad to hear it, thanks to all for the suggestions. I’ll put some in my Jerk Chicken tonight and I may have to do another Hanger Steak stir fry this weekend to use the rest up. [berserker.gif]

This is awesome info. I had twice cooked pork last week from my local Szechuan house and thought they were leeks.

You know, they probably were leeks. It’s hard to source the scapes/shoots in the US so a lot of Chinese restaurants use leeks instead. But in Szechuan they’re definitely using scapes.

Typically they are sold as green garlic, when the garlic itself is immature and the stem/leaves are soft. THey have the same flavor profile as a mild garlic. Love em. I also love the garlic bulb when it’s young, mild and wonderful texture. I just slice them like i’m slicing a vegetable with most of the skin on

Oh yes! The skin around each clove is thicker, too, not papery. I just did 5 heads of garlic confit out of the young ones - great stuff.

I’ve used garlic scapes in pesto instead of garlic cloves.

I add scapes to my sautéed Brussels sprouts.

A couple of things that have been mentioned but are worth saying together: the scapes I’m used to are harvested far earlier than these, so the look and texture are different. I’ve never used or eaten them when they’re as mature as yours. With regular garlic scapes, the most important part is to not overcook. I want them to still have a little snap, cooked just enough to soften their bite. When overcooked, they just taste like generic green vegetables with no garlic flavor. I’m sure they are great for marinades too. I tend to cook them in butter with some shallot and whatever seasonings I feel like, making them the star of a vegetable side dish.

Oh, and a delicious super-seasonal combination that I like is garlic scapes with ramps. Sometimes when I can get it all, I’ll do those two with fiddleheads as well. With the right ratio, they all work so well together. None of this is relevant at this time of year, but as the springtime seasonal veggies from young plants are some of my favorites, I thought it was worth mentioning.