Springy Ramps & Asparagus

Walking into the Union Square Greenmarket around 8:30 Saturday morning, I was nearly run over by a man pushing a dolly filled with crates of ramps, those tasty, wild leeks that appear in early spring. I got to Rick Bishop's Mountain Sweet Berry stand just as a swarm of chefs (or minions of chefs) were descending, and plucked two bunches off the pile. I also picked up some beautiful, skinny asparagus from Yuno's Farm.

Last spring, I sauteed ramps, which have a pungent bite, in garlic and olive oil and tossed them with some pasta. This year, I followed an Epicurious recipe for a ramps pesto of sorts, in which you quickly blanch the ramps, coarsely chop them, then blend them in a food processor with lemon zest, olive oil, some starchy pasta water and salt. The result was less rampy than last year's treatment; Fork seemed a little disappointed in the ramps' toned-down flavor, but I liked the subtlety of the dish. There was also a nice zing from the lemon.

I went with a Cook's Country recipe for Asparagus Salad, which is definitely a keeper. Topped with fresh chives, it's very springy indeed.--S

Lemon Asparagus Salad
serves 8

2 lbs asparagus, trimmed
Salt & pepper
1/4 c juice from 2 lemons
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T honey
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
1 T finely chopped fresh chives

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add asparagus and 1 T salt and cook until just tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and immediately transfer to bowl of ice water. When completely cool, drain and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Combine lemon juice, mustard, honey, garlic, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper in bowl. Slowly whisk in oil to emulsify. Stir in chives. Arranged asparagus on platter and drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve. [I topped the dish with some more chopped chives.]

Recipe courtesy of Cook's Country

On Ramps

Crocuses, robins and allergies are all harbingers of spring I'm familiar with. But one sign of the new season I've been missing out on is the wild leek, also known the ramp. I noticed magazines trumpeting their early spring arrival. So yesterday ramps and I met our destiny. I spotted them at the greenmarket at Union Square with my friend Deena, and we both bought some. The saleswoman/farmer gave us some tips on cleaning and cooking them, and off we went.

Ramps grow on forest floors, and their season lasts between three and five weeks, in April and May. They look like mini-scallions, white bulbs and tender greens with complex roots that twist and curl. Like leeks, ramps are very earthy and require some pretty intense washing. Then you have to trim them, snipping off the root and peeling off the little membrane wrapped around their bottom halves. Everything that's left, from bulb to leaf, is edible.

Mario Batali tosses sauteed ramps with spaghetti; Emeril Lagasse pickles them. I decided to try the farmer's suggestion and go the pasta route. I sauteed them in garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and a sprinkling of kosher salt. As they sizzled, I cooked some fresh linguine and then added the drained pasta, plus a little pasta water to the frying pan with the ramps and garlic. Once the linguine was heated through and all flavored, Fork and I dug in. We also enjoyed a nice, crisp Caesar salad (with cousin G's excellent dressing recipe).

Look for ramps at your local greenmarket over the next few weeks. They're delicious, sort of an onion-garlic hybrid, as Fork says a cross between a green onion and a green garlic. And, yes, Tic Tacs for dessert.--S

UPDATE: (4/26/07)
New York has officially gone ramps crazy.