Scape Stuffed Mushrooms

Garlic scapes are one of my very favorite things. It reeks of usefulness. Not only do garlic bulbs produce the most luscious of flavors come late Summer, but they also give you a tasty snack some months before. A Dual Purpose Plant. I love these. Like the Beet. I snack on beet greens all the Summer long, and in the Fall, I have a beet to enjoy. And the Rose Hip—I use both the petals and the fruit. I could go on and on. But you get the point. A plant with multiple uses is a very good thing, and a very good use of space in a small garden. AND one of the greatest benefits of Garlic is you never have to buy it again. You simply save a few bulbs that are gathered, re-stick them in the ground come Fall, and wa-la—next Summer, the process begins again. Of course, the same can be said of saving seed, which I’m sure we’ll get into a bit later, but with garlic it just feels…easier. There really is no seed to save or store. Just a continually producing plant. And what they produce this time of year, is the Scape (as long as it’s a hard necked garlic—and why would you go with any other kind, I might ask?)

The scape wants to be a flower. It wants it so bad, it curls around on itself, hoping to stay hidden. Hoping to be missed. But, unfortunately for the Scape, I am a good hunter, I move the garlic grasses this way and that, looking for the tell-tale curly-qs until I find each grasses Scape. Then I clip it at its base, where it emerges from the grass (this is important to do, otherwise all the plant’s energy will go into that flower, instead of into the bulb, where I want it to be). Once gathered the Scapes can be used in all sorts of ways, some I’m sure I’ll be posting here. But for tonight, I scavenged through the fridge and found a container of baby portabellas on the brink of turning, so Scape Stuffed Mushrooms it is, and this is how it is done:

The Garlic Scapes taste a lot like shallots—a mix of garlic and onions, but with a bit of sweetness to them. And bite. So, they’re chopped fine-about a half cups worth, along with a quarter cup of finely chopped red sweet pepper (another refrigerator find) and the caps of the mushrooms. This is all added to a small cast iron skillet with a bit of butter (two tablespoons) and allowed to cook until all’s just this side of tender. A third cup of mild beer is added (I used Corona, again, because that’s what I had on hand) and left to bubble among the veggies until it is nicely reduced to about half of what it was. It is removed from the heat and a dash of salt and red pepper is added, along with a half cup crushed garlic croutons and a quarter cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese (again, from my fridge-hunt). Another skillet is retrieved from the cabinet, the same size and shape as the first. In it is placed a tablespoon of butter that is set over the flames and let melt. Once it has, the skillet is removed from the stove and the cops (bottoms) of the mushrooms are placed on top of all that melted butter. I had six worth keeping, so that’s what we went with. The stuffing mixture is scooped up and set on the waiting mushrooms and gently pressed down so it doesn’t get any ideas and go somewhere, like in the bottom of the pan. Speaking of pans. Once each cap is filled, the pan is placed into a preheated three hundred and fifty degree oven an left there for twenty five minutes, or until they sizzle and the tops are a bit crisp around the edges. This is best eaten warm, but cold is equally good.