Foodie Friday is upon us, and this week’s post is about an early summer joy that is as fleeting as it is delightful.  I speak of the pungent, powerful, twisty, green, and woefully short-lived garlic scape.

Yesterday at my town’s farmer’s market, I bought a squiggly handful of the wild, wispy stuff, not knowing what to do with it.  Garlic scapes–the shoots that grow out of the tops of garlic plants in springtime–are strongly-flavored, so they deserve to shine in any dish they’re featured in.  In fact, they demand it.

Here’s what I did–a simple, absolutely delicious pureed zucchini soup.  I sauteed 3 kinds of zucchini I found at the market (golden, green-and-white striped, and regular green), an onion, and most of the garlic scapes with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Then, I added about 3 cups of chicken stock (you could easily use vegetable broth or water) and brought it to a boil.

After simmering it for about a half hour, I pureed the soup with my stick blender (you can put it into a regular blender, in batches).  Just before serving, I added a handful of frozen corn kernels, and I sprinkled the top of each bowl with about a tablespoon of fresh chopped scapes plus a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

You guys?  It was delicious.  Smooth and silky with the occasional pop of the corn, and with that delightful, distinctive garlic flavor that only comes but once a year.

Hungry for more scape-y fun?  Try Dorie Greenspan’s delectable-looking garlic scape pesto, which I am going to have next week….if the scapes are still at the market, that is.

(image via: http://www.doriegreenspan.com/2009/06/i-seem-to-be-on.html)