A Taste of Spring: Ramps
Springtime is the only time of the year to get ramps. What’s a ramp, you say?
Ramps (or Wild Leeks) are a member of the Allium family, along with onions, scallions and leeks. After finally getting to try them, I have become a huge fan. They have the most interesting taste of scallions and strong garlic. Just beware of ‘ramp breath’ – these guys are potent! They’re very versatile – the leaves and bulbs are edible, raw in salads and in any dish you would use other Alliums in. The only limiting factor is the price-tag – $10 to $15 a pound! I limited myself to just half a pound.
What did I do with them? After eating a few raw, I made scrambled eggs with them. The next day I decided to try them in Peruvian Purple and Sweet Potato Hash, from What We’re Eating.
Finally, my “Spring Burger”. (I might have been visually inspired by What We’re Eating on this one, too. The purple component in my burger is pickled red onions.)
Everything turned out delicious – but my wife avoided me for a few hours afterwards. By the way, these photos are close-ups and those are quail eggs – another springtime food. I saw them where I purchased my ramps, and was curious. As you might guess, their unique size is their only difference from any other eggs. But they do make a nice presentation, don’t you think?
Put a veal chop on top of that Peruvian hash, and it looks just as good as my entree at Solo ;)
Ramps are a big deal in WV where I grew up. In the spring you go digging for them in the mountains and then the locals fry them up in copious quantities of bacon grease and then eat them on white bread. Kind of nasty. But still. Ramps always mean spring :)
Those pics look mouth watering however my mouth dropped at the price.Surely a mistake 10-$15 a pound?! I’d rather buy Chilean Sea Bass…
I thought you were talking about skateboard ramps!! Never heard of these. Thanks so much for sharing this!
Ramps are wonderful. Keep in mind that a quarter pound can go a long way, so @ $16 a pound is not especially hefty.
I made a ramp pesto by using the green part instead of basil, and the white part instead of garlic. Added some Olive Oil, lemon zest, some lemon juice, toasted pine nuts, Grana padano, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Served over pasta.
I generally do not add lemon juice/zest to pesto, but this is an exception. It adds nice balance.
Unlike Basil pesto, ramp pesto stays nice and green in its container.