Garlic scapes (see photo below of them growing in the field, shooting out from the buried garlic bulb) are my Next Big Thing. I'm loving them. They are sweet and slightly garlicky. Last year I trimmed them and tossed 'em with olive oil and salt and quickly grilled them. You have to watch them and turn constantly or they'll be toast. Burnt toast. Last week we made pesto: garlic scape and basil. I want to make garlic scape purée soup with them next. They were stacked four or five boxes high because the farm folks had trimmed them all down--to keep the nutrients and energy going to the garlic.

As you can see in the photo, this week we treated the scapes like green or Chinese-style long beans: stir-fried till charred in small batches, and then added a little water and covered them to steam for a couple minutes until tender. Ella did many batches and it took 45 minutes because the gas burner isn't super hot. She added Thai red curry paste and soy sauce and scallions. Very nice.

Lots of beautiful kohlrabi so I shredded those and seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil and vinegar to make a quick slaw. I had cilantro but I saved it for the white beans, which I seasoned with hoisin sauce and oil and vinegar. The crowd favorite was wholewheat spaghetti with peanut-tahini sauce and lots of scallions, though. Ella loves peanut noodles so here is the recipe, now named in honor of our beloved Ella.

Ella's Peanut Noodles
6 to 8 servings, 4 if you're hungry

Chengdu is in Szechwan province where some of the best and most flavorful of Chinese food reigns. The chile oil is typical of this region. For a heartier lunch dish you could add baked tofu or diced cooked chicken or shrimp to these noodles.

1 pound wholewheat spaghetti or fresh thin egg noodles
2 teaspoons each Asian toasted sesame oil and chile oil (or all one)
4 to 6 scallions, finely chopped, white and green kept separate
Dressing
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
4 tablespoons minced gingerroot
2 tablespoons minced garlic or 1/2 cup finely chopped garlic scapes
2 tablespoons each peanut and sesame butters
5 to 6 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons sugar or maple syrup
2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar

Bring 4 to 5 quarts of water to a boil. Add noodles to boiling water and cook until tender but still resistant to the tooth. Drain well, toss with the sesame and chile oils and scallion greens in large serving bowl. Leave at room temperature or chill.

Heat oil in small saucepan and add ginger, garlic or scapes and white of scallion. Cook gently until vegetables are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes, and remove from heat. Stir in the remaining ingredients until well mixed. Taste and adjust with soy, vinegar and maple syrup or sugar. When you are ready to serve, toss dressing on noodles. Mound on a platter.

This is a really great place to add chopped greens like kale or collards--or any lightly cooked vegetable. Just chop into bite-size pieces and lower into boiling pasta cooking water until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and toss with noodles and dressing.