Natives to these parts are well aware of a member of the onion family that seems to be virtually unknown more than 100 miles from the Potomac. I’m talking about “ramps” and don’t feel bad if you know the name but have never tried them. Chef Jerry Pellegrino loves them and says that our ramps are something of a regional delicacy.
Ramps are in the onion family and not far removed from leeks. They consist of lance shaped green leaves, a pink stalk, a little bulb resembling a spring onion, and finally a root mass.
They grow in the Mid-Atlantic region where they seek out the damper parts, often within a stone’s throw of a stream.
They are ready for harvest very early in the Spring, but you probably will have to go foraging for them yourself. Be careful to cut the white bulb away from the root mass, so it can stay in the ground and come back next year.
Here is some recipes Jerry came up with that feature ramps:
Ramp Pesto
Ingredients:
2 cups ramp tops
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic
½ cup pistachios
1 cup parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper
In a small saucepan set over low heat*, cook the whole garlic cloves in the olive oil until aromatic and soft, approximately 30 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
In a blender, add the ramp tops, pistachios, olive oil and garlic cloves. Turn on the blender. Add additional olive oil if the pesto is too thick. Pour into a mixing bowl and whisk in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
*Extra Virgin Olive Oil starts to lose its aromatics at temperatures above 140°F. We’ve found that poaching the garlic in the olive at 180°F allows the garlic to cook and the olive oil to retain most of its beautiful aromas and taste. We use a digital induction burner to hold the temperature ay 180°F for one hour and the results are amazing! You can use a candy thermometer to try and adjust the heat on the burner to stay around 180°F.
Pickled Ramps
Ingredients:
1 lb Ramp Bulbs or as many will fit in 3 pint-jars.
3 cups water
1 T kosher or sea salt
⅓ Cup sugar
1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons pickling spice
Wash and clean the ramps. Remove any remaining taproots from the wild leeks, as well as any dirty, clinging sheath. Remove the leaves and save for another purpose (they can be pickled too). Any healthy taproots can be planted in your yard.
Pack the pint jars full of ramp bulbs, leaving ½ inch headspace. Allow them to come to room temperature.
Bring the water, vinegar, salt, sugar and spices to a boil.
Pour the bring over the ramps in the jars right up to the brim.
Screw the lids on tight and allow to cool to room temp.
Store the ramps covered in their liquid in your fridge, and they’ll last until next ramp season.
Asparagus and Ramp soup with Yogurt
Ingredients:
2 pounds asparagus stalks, fibrous root end trimmed
Kosher salt
1 pound trimmed ramps, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable or low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped mint
Cut the top inch off of each asparagus stalk. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Have a large ice bath ready. Add asparagus tips and cook until bright green and tender, about 1 minute. Transfer to ice bath until chilled. Dry carefully and reserve. Add asparagus stalks to water and cook until bright green and tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to ice bath to chill. Transfer chilled stalks to jar of a blender.
Set aside 8 ramps. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add remaining ramps and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and tossing frequently, until tender and lightly browned. Transfer to blender jar. Add broth and yogurt to blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down sides and adding water as necessary until rich, soupy consistency is reached.
With blender running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then strain through a fine mesh strainer if smoother texture is desired.
Transfer to a medium saucepan and heat, stirring frequently. When ready to serve, stir in lemon juice. Melt remaining butter in a large skillet. Sauté ramps and asparagus tips until lightly browned then transfer to a plate. Ladle soup into individual bowl. Garnish with sauteed ramps, asparagus, chopped mint, and an extra drizzle of olive oil (be generous). Serve immediately.
