Ramps

In a chef's mind, spring is here when the ramps are in hand.  Well, spring is here.  If you have never had  a ramp before I highly recommend trying some.  They are sometimes called a wild leek and grow around the outskirts of Northampton and all over New England.  The aroma they give off is quite amazing, just having them on the counter is enough to fragrance the entire kitchen.  Short-season treats like ramps can be a little intimidating to work with for the home cook so I am offering two recipes.  The first is extremely simple but wonderfully complex and satisfying in taste.  The second is a little more refined, but also fairly easy and a great way to show off both parts of the ramp.  This are "chef" recipes, meaning there are no amounts.  The quantity of ingredients is up to you, just don't skimp on the ramps!


"Breakfast for Dinner" with dry-cooked ramps and potatoes
-Heat a stainless saute pan over medium-high heat until very hot.  Add (cleaned) whole ramps and dry cook until charred.  Remove and lightly season.
-Turn pan down to medium and add olive oil.  Throw in some cubed potatoes and saute until cooked through.
-While potatoes are cooking, poach a few eggs.
-Toss ramps back into potatoes, remove from heat and add a tbsp of butter.  Toss well and season.  Top with a poached egg and enjoy.
~there are a number of ways you could dress this up...maybe some roasted asparagus and a nice hollandaise!  Poached eggs are definitely not necessary, ramps and scrambled eggs are superb...just add a nice salad and you have a lighter dinner.

Pan-roasted loup de mer with toasted quinoa, sauteed ramp greens and pickled ramp bulbs

 -Cut slits in the loup de mer (sea bass, branzini) skin, season and let air dry in the refrigerator.
-Separate bulbs from greens and clean well.
-To pickle bulbs: heat 1/4 C white wine vinegar, 2 T water, coriander seed, pinch salt, black peppercorn and bay leaf until simmering.  Throw in bulbs and simmer for one minute.  Remove and let cool.
-Toast quinoa well in dry pan and add water or stock and steam until tender.
-While quinoa is steaming, heat pan with olive oil.  Once oil is hot and rippling, add seasoned fish to pan skin side down.  Throw in a tab of butter and some fresh thyme, baste flesh side with hot fat.  Cook until skin is crispy and remove.  Throw greens into pan and add some lemon zest.  The greens will cook quickly, all you are looking to do is wilt them.  Season greens.
-Plate and enjoy
~you could use just about any fish with this preparation.  An addition of something creamy and/or herbaceous would benefit this dish, maybe  fresh herb-lemon aioli...heavy on the herbs of course.  You could also blend some of the greens in a blender with a splash of lemon and some water to make a ramp vinaigrette, one more layer of ramp couldn't hurt.  You can also take this in all sorts of ethnic directions, add a little soy to the pickle and serve with steamed rice...maybe head in an Indian direction.  The sky is the limit.