Before you even tell me that garlic scape egg soup sounds *cough cough* ~interesting~, let me just tell you that this soup is one of the best things I ever made.
Let’s back up – it is garlicky (obviously), it is bright from some lemon juice, it is rich and complex from perfectly reduced white wine, and somehow it is perfectly creamy from an emulsified egg. Through all this you would never know that it is completely dairy free and packed with protein.
And lastly? Roasted garlic scapes on top make this one of the prettiest things I have ever set eyes on. It might just be a humble egg soup, but to me it’s one of those magical recipes that show how easy yet exciting food can be.
I never thought I would get this hyped up about an egg soup, but I hope it at least inspires you to make it. Read on for more hot info how garlic scapes and eggs are best friends!
Table of contents
What are garlic scapes?
At their simplest, garlic scapes are the stalks of hardneck garlic plants. You see them emerge in spring and early summer, when they are sprouting up and able to be harvested. You are probably most familiar with softneck garlic, which is a blub of garlic with cloves all the way through, but hardneck garlic is a bulb that has a woody center, and that’s where garlic scapes come from!
While garlic scapes aren’t the most common vegetable, but they are definitely some of the most gorgeous. They have a texture similar to asparagus stems, and are tender enough to be eaten raw, while also being sufficiently sturdy to stand up to grilling, roasting, or blending.
What do garlic scapes taste like?
In my personal experience, garlic scapes taste like if garlic got married to chives. Garlic is the main flavor of course, but there is some green herbaceousness that comes through on the backend that I find so delicious. The flavor gets more mild as you cook it, which is why I prefer to sear my garlic scapes, but some people love to enjoy it raw!
Ingredients for this garlic scape egg soup
- 2 bundles garlic scapes, about 10 sprigs
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon for juice
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 & 1/2 cups water
- 4 large eggs
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup farro uncooked
- 2 tbsp chili oil optional for topping
How to make this egg soup
Egg soup is magic. It’s just all about how you emulsify it. Here are my step-by-step instructions:
- First, cut off the straight ends from the garlic scapes, slicing about 5 inches from the bottom of the scape. Set aside the curly sections. Finely slice the straight ends into thin medallions.
- Put a dutch oven on medium heat. Add in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Once the olive oil has come to temperature, add the sliced garlic scapes and the shallots. Season with salt and cook down, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have softened and become slightly transluscent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the juice from the lemon, red pepper flakes and stir. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, allowing the garlic scape slices to soften. Add in the 1/2 cup white wine, and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue stirring occasionally as the alcohol cooks off, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the 2 & 1/2 cups of water to the mixture. Stir to combine, then let the pot come to a low simmer. While this is happening, whisk together the eggs in a large bowl.
- When the soup is at a simmer, take a small ladle of the liquid and add it to the bowl with the eggs. This is called tempering the eggs, and ensures that they do not curdle. Add the liquid and whisk immediately to incorporate it into the eggs and slowly bring up their temperature. Once the first ladle of liquid is combined, repeat again with another slightly larger scoop of the soup.
- Once the eggs are tempered, add them into the dutch oven. Turn off the heat and stir quickly and continuously. You do not want this to look like egg-drop soup, but instead like a smooth, opaque, emulsified and creamy soup. You will achieve this by quickly whisking in the eggs. Taste and adjust the soup with salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed.
How to perfectly prepare the garlic scapes
Now that the soup is ready and set to the side, it’s time for the scapes. Garlic scapes are so packed with flavor on their own, that searing them is simple. You just need some salt, olive oil and heat, and you are on your way to perfection.
So bring a cast iron pan to medium-high heat. Add a generous glug of olive oil and sear the garlic scapes a few at a time, until they are charred. This will take about 2 minutes per side. Season them with salt and pepper and move them to a large bowl.
Plating this garlic scape egg soup
Plating this garlic scape egg soup is my FAVORITE. It’s so fun, and you can be really creative with it.
I prefer to pile a grain, like farro or buckwheat, high in the middle of a plate, creating almost a mountain. Then I layer the seared garlic scapes on top of it, and gently pour the soup around it like a moat.
I top with chili oil and fresh black pepper and it’s a gorgeous sight to see – until you devour it, of course.
Looking for other recipe ideas?
Nothing can really compare to this soup, but here are a few other vegetarian recipes I have been loving lately!
And that’s it for this garlic scape egg soup!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Garlic Scape Egg Soup
Ingredients
- 2 bundles garlic scapes about 10 sprigs
- 1/4 cup olive oil plus more as needed
- 1 small shallot thinly sliced
- 1 lemon for juice
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 & 1/2 cups water
- 4 large eggs
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup farro uncooked
- 2 tbsp chili oil optional for topping
Instructions
- First, cut off the straight ends from the garlic scapes, slicing about 5 inches from the bottom of the scape. Set aside the curly sections. Finely slice the straight ends into thin medallions.
- Put a dutch oven on medium heat. Add in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Once the olive oil has come to temperature, add the sliced garlic scapes and the shallots. Season with salt and cook down, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have softened and become slightly transluscent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the juice from the lemon, red pepper flakes and stir. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, allowing the garlic scape slices to soften. Add in the 1/2 cup white wine, and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue stirring occasionally as the alcohol cooks off, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the 2 & 1/2 cups of water to the mixture. Stir to combine, then let the pot come to a low simmer. While this is happening, whisk together the eggs in a large bowl.
- When the soup is at a simmer, take a small ladle of the liquid and add it to the bowl with the eggs. This is called tempering the eggs, and ensures that they do not curdle. Add the liquid and whisk immediately to incorporate it into the eggs and slowly bring up their temperature. Once the first ladle of liquid is combined, repeat again with another slightly larger scoop of the soup.
- Once the eggs are tempered, add them into the dutch oven. Turn off the heat and stir quickly and continuously. You do not want this to look like egg-drop soup, but instead like a smooth, opaque, emulsified and creamy soup. You will achieve this by quickly whisking in the eggs. Taste and adjust the soup with salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed.
- In another pot, cook the farro to your liking. Set both this and the soup aside.
- Next, bring a cast iron pan to medium-high heat. Add a generous glug of olive oil and sear the garlic scapes a few at a time, until they are charred. This will take about 2 minutes per side. Season them with salt and pepper.
- To plate, add a scoop of farro to a bowl, top with 2-3 curly garlic scapes. Pour the soup around the outside of the bowl. Top with chili oil, mix and serve!
