Those of you who know me know that I am more of a carnivore than a vegetarian. Most of my dinners just don’t seem complete without a hunk of something seared on the grill! However, in the spirit of eating healthier AND using all my CSA produce, I’m branching out into some meat-free meals.
Tonight, I used the onions, zucchini and pattypan squash from my CSA box, along with some wheat pasta (I wasn’t a wheat pasta fan at first, but it’s grown on me) and my treat to myself, garlic bread.
I sautéed the veggies in some olive oil, salt and pepper, than added a dollop of garlic scape/thyme compound butter before putting them over the pasta and adding some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Yum! The pattypan squash is slightly firmer than the zucchini, with a mild, sweet taste. I can’t wait to get some more!
But as good as the veggies and pasta were, the shining star of the meal was the garlic bread – made with the same garlic scape/thyme butter.
A close up on the garlic bread.
If I have learned one thing this year from my CSA, it is this: Garlic Scapes are Awesome. No, that’s not enough… they are Super Awesome. With capital letters. And apparently, they don’t have a long season, so I’m soon to be going through garlic scape withdrawal. Please keep me in your thoughts through this difficult time.
For anyone who still has garlic scapes (Mom, I know you have them in the freezer), I say “Make garlic scape butter!! You won’t be sorry!” You know the saying, everything’s better with butter? Well, everything is ten times better with garlic scape butter. Next year, I’m buying as many garlic scapes as I can get my hands on (or growing my own!), making a whole bunch of compound butter and freezing it so I can enjoy it – hopefully – all year long.
For now, I will simply enjoy that fact that my house still smells like garlic bread – and I’m okay with that.
Lettuce Never Squash Our Love 
Totally jealous. I seem to be the only person in all of CSA land that has never gotten garlic scapes. I might have to cheat on my CSA and good hunting at the farmer’s market. After reading this post I have a strong craving to give them a try…
Come and share this post with this week’s link party….http://inherchucks.com/2012/07/11/whats-in-the-box-34/. Hope to see you there!
I would never have thought to try them if it wasn’t for my CSA. If you see some at the farmer’s market, definitely give them a try!
Thanks for the link!
This looks really yummy. Uncle Kim and I eat meatless meals all of the time, but usually with regular pasta or with Ohio City pasta. I have been a little afraid of using whole wheat pasta, but I do like and even prefer brown rice to white rice. Is it like that, or different than that?
And I love garlic scapes too!
Yeah, I would say it’s similar to brown rice instead of white rice. (That’s grown on me too, but it took awhile.) I don’t even notice the difference between the wheat pasta and regular store bought pasta anymore. But I would still go with the Ohio City Pasta when you can!
Melissa, that looks like my kind of dinner!! I will give you my garlic scapes that are in the freezer next time you come over. Maybe you can make some more comppound butter and share it with your Mother! That sounds so tasty. 🙂
I would be happy to make some garlic scape butter for both of us! Thank you!