I saw ramps for the first time at the farmer's market on Saturday. I got so excited that I greedily grabbed a bunch, totally neglecting the fact that I had no idea how to use them. How can I make something tasty from an ingredient I've never used before? Time to experient.
I really wanted to get the full flavor of the ramps since I'd never eaten them before so I looked around to see what I had: some pasta, eggs, and olive oil. Excellent. First I put on a pot of water to boil. When the water started to boil, I added the spaghetti and cooked based on the directions on the box. Then I took the ramps I removed the roots and separated the white/red bulb from the leaves. I chopped up the bulbs and sauteed them in some olive oil in a nonstick pan. When they were tender and translucent, I cracked and egg into a bowl and slid it into the pan to cook it sunny side up. (Putting the egg into a bowl first helps makes sure that it gets into the pan intact.) I made sure to put the sauteed ramps on top of the egg just so the egg would get some of the flavor.
In another pan, I sauteed the ramps leaves in some olive oil. I was generous with the olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) since I was planning for this to be my sauce. Then I sprinkled about a teaspoon of salt on top for flavor. As soon as the spaghetti was done, I took it and swirled it around in the ramp pan to cover it with the olive oil. Once that's done, just place the spaghetti on a plate and place the sunny side up egg on top.
The ramps added a gentle onion flavor. The leaves reminded me of cooked spinach infused with onion flavor. Adding the egg and the runny yolk made this meal one of my favorite spring treats. It's an easy, breezy, under 15 minute, one person meal and it was delicious!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Springing Forward
As soon as I started reading Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I completely fell in love with the book and the seasonal way of life Kingsolver adopted. Eating food at the time of year that nature intended and at it's sweetest and tastiest - is there a better way? While reading the book, all I wanted to do was browse the farmers market for fresh, colorful produce to dictate my meals. There was only one problem; it was the dead of winter. Drats! No lovely asparagus, or juicy red tomatoes, or bright zucchini. No bursts of berry flavor, or melons, or cheery cherries. It looked bleak. There were only root vegetables and squash to hold me over until springtime.
So I waited... through the blizzards... and the bone chilling winds... and the disappointing trips to the grocery store where the produce was edible, but not exactly sparkling or bursting with flavor. Is there anything more sad than seeing a partially ripe, mealy tomato? In the meantime, I avoided the farmers market. I was tired of the same old thing and I hadn't prepared for the winter during summer's bounty.
The weather has started to get a bit better in New York so this past weekend I decided to try my luck. It was a gray, dreary day. The clouds hung overhead. The air was moist with humidity as if the skies were just waiting for the right moment to dump all of the rain on us. There were signs of hope though. Against this depressing backdrop, the trees shone bright green. It was, I imagined, what Ireland would look like. As I walked towards the farmers market I tempered my anticipation. I expected to see the same stuff I'd been seeing throughout the winter.
As I got closer I realized that IT'S SPRING!! There were hundreds of potted plants in bloom. Green was everywhere. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted tall stalks of asparagus standing regally in a tub of water. I greedily grabbed a bunch. While paying for some eggs I noticed a plant I had never seen before. There were a bunch of green leaves with white bulbs and a hint of red in between. Curious about what they were, I asked the farmer. They're ramps?! Really?! I had read about them a million times over the past few years. I saw them pop up on restaurant menus only to disappear before I got a chance to try them. Now, here they were, staring me in the face, begging me to take them home with me. So I did.
So I waited... through the blizzards... and the bone chilling winds... and the disappointing trips to the grocery store where the produce was edible, but not exactly sparkling or bursting with flavor. Is there anything more sad than seeing a partially ripe, mealy tomato? In the meantime, I avoided the farmers market. I was tired of the same old thing and I hadn't prepared for the winter during summer's bounty.
The weather has started to get a bit better in New York so this past weekend I decided to try my luck. It was a gray, dreary day. The clouds hung overhead. The air was moist with humidity as if the skies were just waiting for the right moment to dump all of the rain on us. There were signs of hope though. Against this depressing backdrop, the trees shone bright green. It was, I imagined, what Ireland would look like. As I walked towards the farmers market I tempered my anticipation. I expected to see the same stuff I'd been seeing throughout the winter.
As I got closer I realized that IT'S SPRING!! There were hundreds of potted plants in bloom. Green was everywhere. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted tall stalks of asparagus standing regally in a tub of water. I greedily grabbed a bunch. While paying for some eggs I noticed a plant I had never seen before. There were a bunch of green leaves with white bulbs and a hint of red in between. Curious about what they were, I asked the farmer. They're ramps?! Really?! I had read about them a million times over the past few years. I saw them pop up on restaurant menus only to disappear before I got a chance to try them. Now, here they were, staring me in the face, begging me to take them home with me. So I did.
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