In late-spring (right about now), garlic scapes, the thin, curly, bright green stalks that grow (above ground) from the bulbs of hardneck garlic plants, are plentiful at farmers’ markets. The scapes are cut off/removed to allow more of the plant’s resources to stay focused within the garlic bulb (i.e., to grow into what we know of as a head of garlic).

Garlic scapes can be enjoyed raw or cooked, for instance, garlic scape compound butter, garlic scape pesto, garlic scape vinaigrette, grilled or sautéed garlic scapes, pickled garlic scapes or used just about any way one would utilize a clove of garlic.

Today’s inspiration came by way of a photo (Instagram) of a pizza replete with garlic scapes. That’s all it takes. My version, pretty standard as far as pizza goes, homemade pizza dough, homemade sauce, a combo of mozzarella and a hickory smoked cheddar (maybe not so traditional but I like a hint of smokiness), tomato slices, basil, chile flakes and, of course, garlic scapes. I’d be pretty happy if I ordered this pizza out. You?

I’m (lacto) fermenting some garlic scapes as well. Hmm…wonder how those would taste on a pizza?

These are the garlic scapes I’m fermenting. Will update the post in a couple of weeks once they are nicely fermented. Essentially, place scapes in a clean jar, cover with a salt brine solution, some herbs/spices if you like, and then patiently wait…

I like these mason jar air locks and weights.

Garlic Scape Pizza

Bunch of Garlic scapes
Olive oil
Sea salt
Pizza dough (recipe below)
*Red Sauce
Fresh mozzarella, torn into chunks
Smoked Hickory Cheddar, freshly grated
Sliced tomato
Fresh basil leaves
Chile flakes

*I like to keep the red sauce pretty basic. 1 (28-ounce) can of whole tomatoes that I crush by hand or quickly pulse in a blender and then add to taste: dried oregano, a couple cloves of minced fresh garlic, pinch of chile flakes and sea salt.

Preheat your oven, preferably with a pizza steel or stone to 550F or as high as your oven will go. Let the steel/stone heat for 1 hour.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add some oil, scapes and a pinch of salt and sauté until tender, about 10 for larger scapes and 4-5 minutes for smaller scapes. Set aside.

Roll out your dough. Top with sauce, scatter cheese around, place tomato slices on top and pile on garlic scape. With a pizza peel, slide the pizza onto the hot steel/stone (I like to build the pizza on parchment for ease of transferring to the oven; remove the parchment after the pizza is in the oven for a few minutes). Bake until the cheese is hot and bubbly and the crust is browned/charred in spots, about 8-10 minutes, depending on your oven (keep a close eye).

Remove from the oven and scatter basil leaves and chile flakes on top.

Pizza Dough

Makes 2 pizzas
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon 00 flour
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine flours and salt.

In a small mixing bowl, stir together 200 grams (a little less than 1 cup) lukewarm tap water, yeast and olive oil. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and stir until it forms a shaggy ball. On a lightly floured surface, knead with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes, then let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.

Knead rested dough for another 3 minutes. Cut into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily floured surface, cover with dampened cloth, and let rest and rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature or for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator (if you refrigerate the dough, remove it 30 to 45 minutes before you begin to shape it for pizza).