Great es-scapes

Every cook worth her (Himalayan) salt knows the value of garlic in enhancing the flavor of a dish. But few are familiar with the more nuanced taste of garlic scapes,  those curly tendrils, each with its own tiny bulb, found at the top of hard-necked garlic plants as they’re maturing.
     My friends Leslie and Mike had introduced me to them a year or so ago, but I had never grown or harvested them before – until today.
     I picked maybe 20 from my nearly mature garlic plants and took out the tiny bulbs of maybe four, removing the husks to leave pea-sized cloves that taste like a milder, frisky garlic. I immediately remembered my favorite breakfast dish at a restaurant called How’s Your Onion in Derry, N.H. – an omelet made with feta cheese and FRESH (not sautéed) garlic.
     I re-created it for breakfast, using the little scape bulbs instead of the sliced fresh garlic. And OMG, I tell you, those little things surprise you with a burst of flavor when you bite one as you’re eating. (Warning: If you make this recipe, I recommend against any sort of high-profile social interaction – like a job interview of first date – immediately after eating. When I say these things are garlicky, I mean garlicky…)
     Dinner tonight will be pasta with garlic scape pesto (10 to 12 scapes, chopped into two-inch pieces, one-third cup each of shelled pistachio nuts, good olive oil and fresh parmesan or Asiago cheese, with salt and pepper, processed together and served over pasta). I can hardly wait.
     Good thing my sleeping partner will be having the same meal. After a dinner like that, there is no es-scape.