garlic scape spaghetti carbonara
Robin Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 8:24PM 
This was the first application for the recently arrived garlic scapes. They added a perfect amount of freshness to the typically heavy dish without deviating from the traditional flavors too much.
I did learn the difficult way that I must remember to not salt the pasta water for carbonara, however. So take that as a lesson learned from my experience - unless of course you feel the need for a salt lick in your life.
Carbonara is great served with a light salad on the side. Or perhaps your entire vegetable drawer to make up for the decadence of pasta, eggs, cheese, and fatty pork.
Nevertheless, it's worth it.
Garlic Scape Spaghetti Carbonara
Yields 2 servings
4 oz whole wheat spaghetti
2 slices center cut bacon ( or pancetta), chopped
2 oz garlic scapes, in bite size pieces
1 oz parmigiana reggiano, finely grated
2 organic eggs
In a large pot of water boil the spaghetti till done – do NOT salt the water. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a heavy skillet until half done. Add the garlic scapes and continue cooking until bacon is browned and crispy and scapes are tender. Remove from heat and mix in the parmigiana reggiano. Let cool a couple minutes and then add both eggs, directly into the pasta. Using tongs briskly whisk the eggs into the pasta, using a bit of the pasta water to thin out the sauce if necessary. Season to taste with kosher salt, if needed, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Estimate
This is a nutritional estimate, regard it as such.
1 serving = 1/2 of recipe
- 375 calories
- 48 g carbohydrates
- 13 g fat
- 22 g protein
Reader Comments (6)
Looks and sounds yummy. I will have to seek out garlic scapes. They have not yet made it into my kitchen... P.S. Happy Conner's Birthday to you!
Pardon my ignorance but what is a garlic scape? - The dish sounds and looks delicious.
Garlic scapes are the green tops of garlic. You have to snip them off at a certain point so that the plant focuses on growing the bulb instead of the greenery. They're fresh and herby and the garlic taste is much milder than regular garlic - kind of like scallions as opposed to regular onions.
Oh, I am SO making this. Our scapes are ready and will be harvested tomorrow, and my sister arrives on Friday. A perfect confluence of events mandating this pasta. YUM.
P.S. If I may be a complete garden nerd and specify . . . scapes are actually the flower stalk of a hard-necked garlic plant. So they come up in the middle of the foliage, and you won't find them on every garlic plant (because there are also soft-necked varieties--the kind that are always braided picturesquely in photos of country kitchens).
Garden nerd away, dear Kristin. I'm always open to correction!
Thanks for the garlic lesson Kristin and Sweet Bird I learned something new. Cool