Ramps!

Yes, I know, they are everywhere but I wanted to see what they are all about. I never had any interest in paying $4 for a small bunch of alliums. Instead of buying them at the greenmarket I asked my mom if she had noticed any growing on our farm since our soil is conducive to growing these wild leeks. She called me during the work day to say that she had found a huge patch of ramps growing on the south side of the farm! So, this past weekend I was home and unearthed a few. They are quite beautiful when torn out of the ground but made the car ride back to New York rather pungent. Onto my endeavors of preparing these:

I decided to make ramps with pasta and adapted a recipe from Mario Batali:

Spaghetti and Ramps

Ingredients:

3-4 handfuls of penne

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

10-12 ramps

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

sea salt

parmegiano reggiano

Prepare the pasta as indicated on the package (cook until al dente). Meanwhile, separate the white bulbs of the ramps from the green leaves and chop into pieces about 1 inch long. Saute the white parts in the olive oil and add salt and chili flakes; when they are tender add the green parts and cook until they are wilted (I only added the green parts when I knew the pasta was nearly done). Drain the pasta and add to the ramps. Finish with the parmegiano and drizzle with good olive oil.

I still had ramps leftover so I made pesto with the raw ramps. Strong but delicious!

15-18 ramps

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

In conclusion, they are a lovely way to usher in spring and have a unique flavor which is a balance of onion and garlic. I still don't understand the fanaticism over them but maybe I am just spoiled. Happy eating!