1 bunch fresh ramps – wash and trim as you would scallions
1-2 T. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Slice white parts of ramps thinly and green parts into 1/2 inch wide pieces.
Heat skillet to very hot, add oil, salt and pepper, followed by ramps.
Saute quickly, moving them about the pan, charring them in spots, then remove from heat, transfer to plate and set aside till ready to add to the dish you’re making.
Notes: Okay, so what are ramps? Never heard of them, till Steve brought them home from the market, but it seems many other chefs have and love them.
It is written that perhaps the reason these baby leeks are so revered is that they’re foraged and have a short growth life. They appear in the early spring as one of the first edible plants of the growing season in Eastern North America.
Unlike scallions, the leaves are broad and nontubular, and some claim them to be grittier than adult leeks, but mine were exceptionally clean. One reason I don’t use leeks, is that it is nearly impossible to remove all the grit from them.
At about twenty dollars a pound, I probably won’t use them again given that I didn’t see, taste or feel what all the positive energy surrounding the acquisition of baby leeks was all about.
For these ramps I made a tomato sauce, then added them, cooked as shown above, at the very end of cooking the sauce.
Soaking them in the tomato sauce creates a soft-spongy chew – different from what you might expect from a scallion or a leek. They also impart a slight gelatinous texture to the sauce, which helps with the smooth.
Make some fresh French baguette bread sticks, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and use as dippers for the TOMATO SOUPY SAUCE in a soup bowl. Or, try a deeper bowl and place the plain sticks with no oil right in the bowl around the edge of the sauce, then sprinkle the sauce with vegan parmesan.
Here’s the link for the sauce on one my other cooking sites:
https://chefdavies-tight.com/2018/05/26/tomato-soupy-sauce/
ANIMAL-FREE SOUS-CHEF™ 