Garlic Scape Marinated Flank Steak

Unless you grew your own garlic, it used to be hard to find garlic scape in the US. But in recent years I have seen garlic scape being sold in ethnic grocery stores or at farmer’s markets. The season for these delicate tendrils (which are technically the flower of the garlic plant) is quite short because these appear on the garlic plant just before the bulb starts to mature. In fact, it is better to take these off the plant because then the plant tends to send all its “energy” into growing the bulb, rather than growing the flower.
I love the flavor of garlic scape – it is of course garlicky but it is much more delicate than the garlic bulb. Most people either stir-fry the scape or make pesto with it. Today I was fortunate enough to find some fresh scape at the farmer’s market and I used them marinade flank steak (also a purchase at the local market from a local organic farm). I marinated the steak for only about 4-5 hours and then I grilled it on a charcoal grill. This is probably one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever find, yet it is absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

1. Flank steak (mine was about 1.6 lbs)
2. 5 stalks of garlic scape
3. 2 tablespoons of good quality Balsamic Vinegar
4. 2 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil
5. 1 tablespoon of Mesquite steak seasoning
6. ½ teaspoon of freshly ground rainbow pepper

Directions:

garlic-scape-flank-steak-3

1. Either with a meat mallet or with a Jaccard Knife Meat Tenderizer (I used this) tenderize the steak on both sides.

garlic-scape-flank-steak-4
2. In a small food processor, grind the garlic scape into a coarse paste.

garlic-scape-flank-steak-5
3. Spread the ground garlic scape on both sides of the steak and rub it into the texture of the meat (as much as you can).

garlic-scape-flank-steak-6
4. Sprinkle the Mesquite seasoning, Balsamic Vinegar, pepper, olive oil all over the steak (both sides of it). Rub everything into the texture of the meat.
5. Place the steak into a container and cover it with cling wrap or aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator for a few hours (or even overnight).
6. Take the steak out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you are going to grill it.
7. Light your charcoal or the gas grill.

garlic-scape-flank-steak-7
8. Grill the steak on both sides to the level of done-ness you prefer (I like medium rare).
9. When the steak is grilled, rest it on a cutting board for about 7-8 minutes before cutting it (or the juices run out).

garlic-scape-flank-steak-8
10. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice the steak against the grain.
11. Serve with a salad or with potatoes or any side dishes you’d prefer.

garlic-scape-flank-steak-9229

Related Posts

comments

  1. Permalink Submitted by Lisa@Lisa's Dinnertime Dish on Thu, 26/06/2014 - 13:34

    I love marinated flank steak and this marinade sounds SO good! I’ve never heard of garlic scape, but now I want to find some, it sounds delicious! Pinning!!

    • Permalink Submitted by Shabnam on Thu, 26/06/2014 - 14:29

      Hi Lisa 🙂 Yes, it isn’t easy to find garlic scape (super markets don’t carry any) – I too have started finding them at Farmer’s Markets and Whole foods (in season) in the last year or two. Its the flower stems of the garlic plants and the flavor is a bit milder and sweeter than the garlic cloves. Most people make pesto out of garlic scape or they stir-fry it and use it as a side dish. Basically, if you like garlic, its good in anything. Let me know if you try this recipe 🙂

add new commentLeave a Reply to Shabnam