15 minutes; yields 1 1/2 cups; courtesy New York Times

1/3 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
fresh herbs to your liking - one or more of the following: chopped rosemary, parsley, thyme, basil

1. In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée.

2. With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired.

3. Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt.

Check out both recipes:

1 cup chopped garlic scapes (about 8 scapes)
1 cup olive oil
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Combine the scapes and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the parmesan by hand. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over pasta or use as a dip or spread. Mix with mayonnaise for sandwiches.

To serve over pasta, try garnishing with toasted pine nuts, olives, and/or chopped fresh or sun-dried tomatoes.

GARLIC PESTO -- Recipe 2

1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

For ½ pound short pasta such as penne, add about 2 tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta and stir until pasta is well coated.

Adapted from epicurious.com

10 cups water
2 cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 lb sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces
3 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 1/3 cups orzo-style pasta (1/2 lb)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Bring water, broth, and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil and blanch sugar snaps 1 minute. Transfer sugar snaps with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking, reserving broth, then drain sugar snaps in a colander. Put sugar snaps, scallions, and dill in a bowl.

Return broth to a boil and cook orzo, stirring occasionally, until tender. Reserve 1/2 cup broth, then drain orzo in a sieve. Add hot orzo to sugar snap mixture along with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss, adding some of reserved broth if pasta seems dry.