It's April, and all you farmers market shoppers know what that means! It's ramp season! Ramps (which are really members of the wild leek family) are available only for a short time in early spring. They taste like a heady combination of garlic and onions and look like scallions. Though you won't necessarily be seeing them at Stop & Shop, the distinctive flavor and relative unavailability of ramps make them items of worship for foodies. So here's what you do: run down to your local farmers market and pick some up. This alone will make you feel like you just learned the handshake to an exclusive secret club. Then, go back home and whip up this recipe for spaghetti with ramps. Invite your food snob friends over for dinner and laugh when they assume it's pesto. (Note: due to the strong flavor and odor of ramps, do not plan to kiss any of said food snob friends.) Serve a nice white wine with it (**MY NOTE: I'd actually go for the Pinot Grigio but maybe that's just me**) and there you have it: instant street cred in the foodie world. If, you know, there is such a thing as street cred in the foodie world.
from wikipedia:
Ramps
Allium tricoccum, commonly known as ramps, spring onion, ramson, wild leek, or ail des bois (French), is a member of the onion family (Alliaceae). Found in groups with broad, smooth, light green leaves, often with deep purple or burgundy tints on the lower stems and a scallion-like bulb strongly rooted just beneath the surface of the soil. Both the white root and the broad green leaves are edible. They are found from the U.S. state of South Carolina to Canada and are especially popular in the cuisine of the US state of West Virginia and the Canadian province of Quebec when they emerge in the springtime. A common description of the flavor is like a combination of onions and strong garlic.
In central Appalachia, ramps are most commonly fried with potatoes in bacon grease or scrambled with eggs and served with bacon, pinto beans, and cornbread. Ramps, however, are quite adaptable to almost any food style and can also be used in soups, puddings, ketchup, guacamole and other foods, in place of onions and garlic.
Spaghetti with Ramps
Ingredients
1/2 pound ramps
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan
Toasted Bread-Crumb Topping (recipe follows)
Preparation
Trim roots from ramps and slip off outer skin on bulbs if loose. Blanch ramps in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water, 2 to 3 seconds, and transfer to a cutting board with tongs. Coarsely chop ramps and put in a blender with zest and oil.
Add spaghetti to boiling water and cook a few minutes, then ladle out 1/2 cup pasta water and add to blender. Purée ramps until smooth and season with salt. Continue to cook spaghetti until al dente, then ladle out about 1 cup additional pasta water before draining spaghetti in a colander. Return pasta to pot with ramp purée and toss with parmesan over moderate heat 1 to 2 minutes, thinning sauce with a little pasta water as needed to coat pasta.
Toasted Bread Crumb Topping for Pasta
3 (1/2-inch-thick) slices whole-grain bread
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cut bread into cubes, then grind to crumbs in a food processor. Spread in a shallow baking pan and bake in middle of oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Pour crumbs into a bowl and stir in oil and salt.
Source : wikipedia.com
epicurious.com
blogs.menupages.com/boston/
No comments:
Post a Comment