Tag Archives: Ramps

Ramp and Spinach Salad

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Ramps (3)This is a spring salad made with ramps and spinach, and a sweet vinaigrette  
I mentioned ramps last year at this time–clearly around this time, since they are seasonal. Allium tricoccum is a wild plant of the garlic family, but I would describe it as garlic onion in flavour, strong for a leek, but not strong enough for garlic. It grows wild in the mountains of East Tennessee, and can be used as flavouring , or as a dish itself. It has wide leaves, like Lily of the Valley, so it is often stewed as a green.

Step 1, come together: assemble and wash all the ingredients–wild ramps are often found in creek areas, and the mud on the roots can retain that swampy smell.

Step 2, tear the greens: tear the spinach to a bite size and cut the leaves off the ramps, and cut into ribbons smaller than the spinach (a little goes quite a way)Apples

Step 3, all the other fruits of the garden…: slice a tart, crisp apple thinly, into bite sized slices, and drizzle with lemon juice. This will keep it from rusting. Add to greens.

Step 4, release the vinaigrette: in a large bowl, mix the vinegar, the dipping sauce & the olive oil (I used about a quarter cup of each, but you can balance it as you wish). IMG_3572Add salt to taste. Whisk to an even emulsion and drizzle on the salad.

Step 5, to table: serve, share, take to a potluck, eat lots of it and go to a sauna as a spring cleanse. You know what to do.

Ramp Ravioli with Cashew Ricotta filling

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IMG_2040[1]This is my Übermahl or Over-Meal, a process of self-transcendence that eschews traditional cooking and makes its home beyond the pale. It is also delicious.

Ramps, for those of you who do not live in the Appalachian Mountains, are a variety of wild Leek than can be found in this region in the spring. It has a unique flavor, but is milder than onions or garlic..

Part One: The Filling
Homemade Ravioli Cashew Ricotta Cheese
(lifted from the Simple Veganista http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2012/10/cashew-ricotta-cheese.html )
Ingredients
  • 1½ cup raw cashews
  • water
  • 1 large lemon (or, in a pinch, 1 Tbsp vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • dash onion powder
  • 1 tsp basil (optional)
  • salt & pepper
Step 1, Early Prep (day before, first thing in the morning, etc.): Put the cashews in a bowl and cover them with water, an inch or more above the cashews which will expand. Soak for at least two hours.
Step 2, Blend: Drain the cashews, keeping the water. Add the cashews and all the other ingredients in a blender or food processor, blend scraping down sides as needed until creamy. You might add a little of the water if it isn’t wet enough. Taste it and see if you want to monkey with it until you like the flavor. You might want it saltier, or not. For this recipe, I added 1 tsp of dried basil.
Step 3, let it sit: pour out the mixture into a container that can be covered. Put it in the refrigerator for an hour or two to let it set (in a pinch, this step can be skipped).
Makes appx. 2 cups. Stores in refrigerator for up to a week.
Part Two: The Pasta
Homemade Pasta (4 servings)
Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour
  •  pinch salt
  • 3 eggs (at room temperature)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • Ramps or other Special Ingredient: if you want to mix it up, add ½ cup of something interesting. For this recipe, I added blanched ramps, but I could have added beets or something else crazy.
Step 1, Sifting: Measure out the dry ingredients (flour & salt) into a sifter. Sift (I’ll bet you didn’t see that coming). You can do this the tradigional way, onto a clean surface, or the easy way, into a large bowl.
Step 2, mixing: Make a deep well in the flour. Break the eggs into this hole and add olive oil. Whisk eggs very gently with a fork, gradually incorporating flour from the sides of the well.
Step 2, alternate: in a food processor or blender, add your “Special Ingredient,” and chop it to a fine paste. Add the eggs and oil and blend. Put this mixture in the well in the flour.
IMG_2036[1]Step 3, People, people who knead pasta: When mixture becomes too thick to mix with a fork, begin kneading with your hands or your bread hook. Knead dough for 8 to 12 minutes, adding flour as it will take it—the final bit by hand even if you are using a machine. The dough will be harder than bread dough, and smooth and flexible.

Step 4, let it sit: Wrap dough tightly in plastic and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 5, Roll on: Roll out the dough with a pasta machine or a rolling pin to your desired thickness. For the ravioli, I rolled it to about a millimeter. For long Pasta, I prefer it pretty thin. Cut into your favorite style of noodle or stuff with your favorite filling to make ravioli.
Step 5, alternate: Roll out the pasta into long sheets and place half of this Ramp Ravioli 3on a large, smooth surface. Put dollops of the ricotta mixture ad even intervals (do you like big raviolis or small ones?), and moisten the areas in between (to make the pasta stick). Cover the sheet with the other sheets and use gentle pressure to seal the little packets (or a ravioli roller, a cool but difficult tool). Cut in between the dollops—there is a crimper/cutter they make for this, but I use a knife. Press the edges of the packets with a fork to make sure they are sealed.
Step 6, cooking: Bring water to a boil in a large pot and add salt. Cook the pasta until al dente, 1 to 8 minutes depending on thickness. Drain, treat, and eat.

Ramp Ravioli 4Extra Step, treating: You could just make some sauce, but for this, I prepared Browned Butter & Mushrooms. In a large skillet, sizzle a half stick of butter until it begins to brown. Add a half to a whole pound of sliced mushrroms, and allow them to brown as well. If too much of the liquide boils away, add more butter or a little white wine. Add some mixed garlic for the last little bit, long enough so it softens & releases its flavor, but not long enough to brown. Dump the pasta into this.