My favorite ramp recipes
It's ramp season! 🌱
Have you bought ramps yet this year? The season is very brief, so if you see them at your farmer’s market, grab them before they’re gone!
Ramps–also known as wild leeks or wild garlic–have a very short season in the spring. They grow primarily in moist deciduous forests or in the rich, fertile soil of river banks, where they have to be picked by hand. They’re prized for their sharp, garlicky flavor and take on a particularly complex, subtle sweetness when charred or roasted.
My dad grew up in West Virginia, where ramps are plentiful. I remember as a kid visiting his family during ramp season, and they made fried potatoes with ramps which grew everywhere around where they lived. I also swore they made a pork schnitzel with ramps in the breading, but my dad says I’m flat wrong, so I guess I must have thought it sounded good! I’ve been telling people for years about their amazing pork schnitzel recipe, and it must have all been a dream. Oops! Regardless, there are lots of ramp festivals that you can attend if you’re in the area.
If you can’t find ramps, below is how I would recommend substituting a small bunch.
6–8 garlic cloves
1 ounce fresh chives
1 leek
5 scallions
Keep in mind: smaller, younger ramps will be a bit milder than more mature ramps that you’ll likely find later in the season. Adjust how many ramps you use in each recipe depending on how big or small they are!
For today’s newsletter, I’m sharing a few of my favorite ramp recipes with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Ramp and Asparagus Rice Soup
This recipe is from my upcoming cookbook, The Plant-Based 5-Ingredient Cookbook, and uses all the best herbs from spring to make the most wonderful rice soup.
Serves: 4 | Cook time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
2 bunches of asparagus, about 1½ pounds total
8 cups water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 shallots, peeled and small-diced
1 cup basmati rice
12 ramps, cleaned thoroughly and roots trimmed, divided*
.5 ounces fresh mint
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the asparagus:
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Cut off and discard the woody ends of the asparagus. Set aside 10–12 of the stalks for roasting (depending on how many you want to use as garnish per bowl). You will not be blanching these reserved asparagus stalks!
Blanch the asparagus:
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Rinse the remaining asparagus and add to the boiling water for 2–3 minutes until bright green. Using tongs, remove the asparagus and transfer it to an ice bath. Turn off the heat on the water and set it aside, as you will be reusing it!
Prepare the rice soup:
Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a wide pot. Add the shallots and cook for 4–5 minutes until just translucent.
Add the rice and season with salt and pepper. Let it sizzle in the pot until it begins to toast lightly, about 2–3 minutes.
Add 6 cups of asparagus cooking water to the rice. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer over low heat, uncovered, until completely tender. This will take about 20–30 minutes. You may need to add a bit of additional water, as needed, to keep the consistency right. Stir it occasionally to prevent it from sticking! Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Prepare the asparagus and ramp purée:
While the soup simmers, prepare the asparagus purée. In a food processor, add 6 ramps, mint, blanched asparagus, and extra virgin olive oil. Pulse until completely blended.
Roast the asparagus
While the rice finishes simmering, arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet and place the 6 remaining ramps on top, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.
Transfer to the preheated oven for 10–12 minutes or until the asparagus is tender and the ramps begin to char around the edges. Remove from the oven and tent with foil to keep warm as you finish the recipe.
Finish the ramp and asparagus rice soup:
Pour the asparagus and ramp purée into the rice and stir to incorporate. Cook for 3–5 minutes more to mellow out the flavors of the herbs. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
To serve:
Ladle the asparagus rice soup into shallow bowls. Arrange the roasted asparagus and ramp leaves on top. Enjoy!
Note:
Use 6 cloves of garlic in the purée if you do not have ramps, and serve the soup with only roasted asparagus on top.
Brothy Beans with Ramps
Serve these brothy beans with crusty bread for maximum comfort.
Serves: 4 | Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
6 ramps, trimmed and washed
1 shallot peeled and minced
3 tablespoons butter
3-4 cups vegetable stock, depending on how brothy you want it to be
2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon dry thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the ramps:
Cut the white and red stems from the leaves of the ramps. Set the leaves aside. Mince the stems.
Start the brothy beans:
Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium heat until very hot. Add the minced shallot and minced ramp stems and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the crushed red pepper (more or less to taste) and stir for 1-2 minutes more.
Add the butter to the pan. Once melted and frothy, add the vegetable stock and bring it to a boil.
Simmer the brothy beans:
Add the drained beans and the tomatoes to the broth and season with the thyme, salt, pepper, and more crushed red pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Taste and season to your preferences with salt, pepper, dry thyme, and more crushed red pepper. If the liquid seems too brothy, reduce it longer. If you’d like it more brothy, add a bit more stock or water.
Wilt the ramps:
Right before serving, stir the ramps into the broth and cook for 1-2 minutes until just wilted. Turn off the heat.
To serve:
Ladle the beans into bowls and serve the wilted ramps on top. Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!
Poached Cod with Ramps and Pecorino Romano Broth
A rich, salty broth with tender orzo, garlicky ramps, and perfectly poached cod is a meal made in heaven.
Serves: 4 | Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients
6 ramps
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil divided
1 shallot, peeled and quartered
1 rind cut from fresh pecorino Romano cheese
5 cups chicken stock
1 small lemon, halved
12 ounces dry orzo
1 pound cod, cut into 4 4-ounce portions
Lemon slices, optional, for garnish
Freshly ground pepper for serving
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the ramps:
Thoroughly wash the ramps and trim the bulbs. Cut the white parts from the leafy greens and keep them separate.
Prepare the broth:
In a wide pot, heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium-high. Add the shallot and white parts of the ramps and cook, stirring frequently, until browned all over, about 3-5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock, cheese rind, and lemon halves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes to allow the rind to melt (as much as possible) and the flavors to meld.
Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into a large heat-proof bowl and discard any solids. Wipe the pot out and return the strained broth back to the pot and bring to a low simmer. Taste and season with salt as needed.
Cook the orzo:
While the broth is cooking, prepare the orzo. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and prepare the orzo according to package instructions.
Drain and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle the orzo with 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and toss to combine. Set aside.
Refill the small pot with water and return back to the stove over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath for the ramps.
Cook the cod:
Right before poaching, season the cod with salt. Add the cod to the broth in the wide pot over a low simmer and cover. Poach for about 10 minutes or until the cod is opaque and cooked through, but not tough. Turn off the heat and keep covered.
Blanch the ramps:
While the cod is cooking, bring the small pot of water to a boil. Add the ramp greens and blanch for about 30-45 seconds or until bright green and just wilted.
Using tongs or a spider strainer, transfer the ramp greens to the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Transfer the ramps to a paper towel-lined plate.
To serve:
Divide the cooked orzo between shallow bowls and arrange the ramp leaves and a lemon slice (optional) on top. Ladle the hot broth over the orzo and ramps and place a piece of poached cod on each dish. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy!
Hope everyone has a wonderful week filled with lots of tasty ramps! 🌱
-kylie