Spring (Snow!?) Showers
It doesn’t quite feel like spring yet, but with Daylight Savings Time beginning and Winter Storm Stella blowing through this past week, I’m getting really antsy for warm weather & fresh ingredients! So this post is a “throwback” with one of my favorite spring ingredients: ramps.
I first discovered this ingredient in Madison, where I learned from the farmers’ market that people forage for these beauties. Much like morel mushrooms their abundance relies heavily on the weather, and they have a very short season.
Their flavor is somewhere between a green onion and young garlic. They’re great sautéed or grilled like scallions or asparagus. To make them last awhile longer, I’ll pickle the bulbs and make kimchi out of the leaves. But using them fresh in pesto is my favorite bright (albeit pungent) way to eat these short-lived spring vegetables. If the raw flavor seems to be too overwhelming, blanch the ramps for a minute before puréeing or be sure to cook the pesto for a few minutes on the stove before serving.
Ramp Pesto
Spring has sprung with this bright pesto!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch ramps
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or any other nut preferred
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste
Instructions
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Wash the ramps. Trim off the roots of the ramp bulbs. Chop the leaves into 2" pieces.
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(Optional) Blanch the ramp leaves & bulbs in boiling water to temper the sharp flavor.
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Put the toasted pine nuts & ramps in your food processor. Add the cheese, juice of half a lemon, and a dash of salt and pepper.
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Pouring the olive oil in slowly, process contents until they combine and the texture looks like pesto.
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Taste for seasoning and add a good squirt of lemon.
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Serve on pasta, toast, or grilled meat of choice... and enjoy!