July 2, 2021

Garlic Scape Hummus

Part 2 in my series:

Garlic Scapes, What Exactly Do You Do With These Things? {Part 2}

(Jump to the recipe file here.)

If you like hummus, garlic hummus is also probably one of your favorite flavors or add-ins.

Garlic Scape Hummus may just become your new favorite.

When making hummus at home, I like to start with canned chickpeas, since they’re already cooked, but then I rinse them, and I mean rinse them, al la sushi rice style, and I then remove each and every little white hull from each chickpea, which takes time, but gives me a super creamy homemade hummus. THEN, I simmer the de-hulled chickpeas for 20 minutes. This is where the scapes in my Garlic Scape Hummus come in. Simmering for 20 minutes is the all-time, absolute perfect time for adding in some chopped tender scape necks. It not only softens the scapes for creamy blending, it also infuses the chickpeas with a nice hint of garlic flavor.

So here it is, my second, irrefutably perfect use for garlic scapes,

Garlic Scape Hummus

You’ll Need:

1, 15 oz can of chickpeas
2 Tbs garlic scapes (25g from about 10 scapes)
1/3 cup tahini (80g)
4 Tbs cool water
2 Tbs olive oil
½ tsp cumin
¾ tsp salt
2 – 4 small garlic cloves
the juice from ½ a lemon

Start by rinsing your 15 ounces of chickpeas pretty thoroughly. Rinsing really well will help release the hulls, and they should slide right off. Then remove the hull from each one.

(This takes time; I literally pick up each one, slide it out of the hull, and place the hulls in a trash bowl and the chickpea in another bowl, but it’s worth it. You’ll get creamy hummus. Hey! If you’ve got kids, tell them it’s fun, and that it will earn them minerals in Stardew Valley or Roblox, they’ll do it all day, just squeezing hulls from chickpeas!)

Place the rinsed, hulled chickpeas in a medium saucepan.

Rinse your scapes. Snip the bulbil bulb from the tops and set those aside for grilling as a garnish. Find the part of the scape where it gets harder to bend and cut the scape there. Lay that scape next to your other scapes and cut all of them where the neck starts to get particularly tough. Discard the tough bottom ends.

Chop the tender scape sections into ½ to ¼ – inch chunks.

Place them in the pot with the chickpeas and cover with about an inch or two of water. Over medium-high heat, bring the pot to a light boil, then reduce to maintain a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.

(In the meantime, grill your garlic bulbils. The next post I write will be specifically for Crispy Grilled Baby Garlic Bulbils, but for now, check out my blog post on Garlic Scape Soup for grilling instructions.)

Peel and smash your garlic cloves.

Into the bowl of a food processor or the carafe of a blender (I prefer a food processor for hummus, just fyi; I find it easier to scrape down the bottom, and my 20-year-old Vitamix carafe might be getting tired;) measure in your 80 g of tahini, 4 tablespoons of cool water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of ground cumin, ¾ teaspoon of salt, the juice from ½ a lemon, and your smashed garlic cloves.

Purée until smooth.

Once your chickpeas and scape bits have simmered for 20 minutes, drain them and allow them to cool just a minute or two, then add them to the processor as well.

Purée until very smooth.

You may need to stop and scrape down the bottom of the food processor and purée again, but I generally get a very smooth Garlic Scape hummus in about 5 to 7 minutes of blending, scraping the down the bowl once or twice.

Taste for salt, cumin and lemon juice preferences.

Transfer to a bowl and eat right away or chill.

Garnish with an extra drizzle of olive oil and some Crispy Grilled Baby Garlic Bulbils, so people know what to expect without quite knowing what to expect.

This hummus is truly creamy and garlicky in a very specific, not harsh, garlicky way. Simmering the scapes in with the chickpeas really sets this hummus apart.

It will last covered in the refrigerator for at least a week.

Recipe Note: I got the base, classic hummus, recipe from Gimme Some Oven.

Enjoy!

—Becky