buffalo milk spaccatelli, garlic scapes, lemon, micro fennel

It’s scape season. Actually, we’re well into the season but this was my first outing with these delightful promises of summer, the flower shoots of the garlic plant.

I put together a pretty light pasta last night, to save both time and the wonderful flavors of these buds. 

  • the second half of the one-pound package of the New York City pasta, Sfoglini’s Buffalo milk spaccatelli (the first half was used 2 weeks ago in this meal) that had just finished cooking until barely al dente, served with a simple fresh sauce which began with at least 2 cups of tender garlic scapes from Norwich Meadows Farm, cut into 2-inch lengths, sautéed in olive oil for 3 or 4 minutes, 2 tablespoons of butter and most of the juice of one organic lemon from Whole Foods added to the pan, the pasta added once the butter had melted, along with the zest from that same lemon, everything mix stirred over low heat, during which time some reserved cooking water was added to help emulsify it, the mix seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, arranged in 2 low bowls, scattered with micro bronze fennel from Two Guys from Woodbridge, and with a bit of olive oil drizzled around the edge
  • the wine was an Italian (Marche) rosé, De Angelis Marche Rosato IGT 2017, from Foragers Wines
  • the music was an album of Grazyna Bacewicz string quartets