PrintDinner Tonight: Ramps with Linguine
I'd never eaten a ramp before in my life. But there I found myself week after week, trolling greenmarkets, unable to wait for something other than root vegetables. My own obsession was mysterious, but the general public excitement over ramps is remarkable. Ignored as nuisances for years, they are also called wild leeks and have flat, floppy leaves and a beautiful purple stem. The flavor is an earthy pungent combination of scallions and garlic, and is usually served simply grilled, in pastas or risottos, or baked into gratins and frittatas. The prices are quite fetching—up to $20/pound—for what is essentially a weed. When they first came, ramps were often sold out at the market by 9 a.m.
So when I finally did land some ramps, I went straight to this recipe from an article on Gourmet.com by a former chef at Babbo, Yoshi Yamada. He describes the Babbo preparation in a paragraph with imprecise quantities and large strokes—but essentially, it's ramps, bread crumbs, cheese, and olive oil. The ramp bulbs are sliced away and cooked in hot oil, while the leaves are julienned and tossed in off the heat. I've guessed at a few quantities here, but everything came out well for me—the wafting ramp flavor came through beautifully, the breadcrumbs gave it texture, and Pecorino (instead of Parmesan) offered a little sharpness to echo the ramp's more biting qualities.
About the author: Blake Royer lives in Brooklyn and spends most of his free time cooking and writing about it here at Serious Eats and on The Paupered Chef. From 9 to 5 weekdays, he works as an assistant book editor in Manhattan.
Ramps with Linguine
- serves 4 -
Adapted from Gourmet.com
Ingredients
1-2 bunches ramps, about 20
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 pound linguine
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, toasted in a little olive oil
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, to taste
Procedure
1. Bring a large pot of salty water to boil and begin cooking the pasta.
2. Clean the ramps, removing the translucent husk over the bulb (if necessary), and slice to separate the leaves from the bulbs. Stack the leaves on top of one another, roll them up lengthwise, and slice thinly into ribbons (julienned).
3. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan until just smoking, then pull the pan off the flame, toss in the ramp bulbs, and toss well until the pan calms some. Return to heat and sear until blistered, brown, and soft. Add the garlic to the pan, tossing until toasted and nutty, then add the al dente linguine to the pan. Add the breadcrumbs and julienned leaves and toss until wilted, then transfer to plates and grate Pecorino over the top. Finish with a little olive oil, if desired.
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14 Comments:
I have enjoyed ramps many times in the early spring. This spring we are living in a new state and I've seen nary a ramp on restaurant menus. However, the physical description you give of the ramp gave me pause because I do believe I just spent last weekend ridding the side lawn of about 5 pounds of "flat, floppy leaves and a beautiful purple stem." You say they are fetching $20 per pound at your local farmer's market? Hmmm, my neighbor's lawn seems to have the same "nuisance." I wonder if I should offer to de-ramp their yard. LOL. I can't be that lucky.
wookie at 4:42PM on 05/01/08
I agree with your inital comments - what's with this inexplicable trend of every food blog featuring a glorified scallion? I've grown up eating ramps (only recently learning the English name) and I am scratching my head at the fuss. So I didn't quite get a real sense of whether you liked ramps or not. I personally treat it as I would leeks or scallions - to flavor a dish, but not as the star attraction. It's a bit too strong and bitter for top billing IMO.
onespicymama at 4:44PM on 05/01/08
I love ramps. But then, I am an allium fiend: leeks, shallots, garlic, scallions... Ramps to me combine the best qualities of all those, while having some mysterious and delicious properties all their own. Is it possible to grow them? They must be easy to grow, leeks are...
simon at 5:01PM on 05/01/08
Damn you all with your greenmarkets! I want a ramp!
bitchincamero at 5:18PM on 05/01/08
just found this:
Ramp Farm
w00t!!!!
simon at 5:23PM on 05/01/08
I agree bitchincamero; mmmm....fresh veggies...nom nom nom
hungrychristel at 5:31PM on 05/01/08
I've never seen a ramp in Washington State. I think they're just an east coast phenomenon. : (
slashchef at 5:45PM on 05/01/08
Yeah. I have to admit I had never heard of the damn things until I moved to New York, where every last foodie wets his or her pants about them each spring.
Adam Kuban at 6:49PM on 05/01/08
The reason that I find ramps so spectacular is that they are the very first green thing available in the spring, and here in the Frozen North where we had snow last week, that's cause for major celebration.
thatgrrl at 8:10PM on 05/01/08
I live in Upstate New York, and I went out looking for ramps. I found some! And golly, they're delicious.
kurteye at 10:05PM on 05/01/08
Here's how I make ramp pasta:
Spaghetti with Anchovies and Ramps
1 bunch ramps, 5-6 ounces, well rinsed, trimmed,
outer skins slipped off the bulbs
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
2 large shallots, peeled and chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2.8-ounce bottle of anchovies, drained, rinsed, and chopped
1/4 cup dry white vermouth
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1 pound spaghetti
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil, adding the salt along the way. Blanch the ramps in the boiling water for 2 to 3 seconds, and transfer them to a cutting board with tongs. Coarsely chop the ramps.
Make the breadcrumbs: Melt the butter in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, fairly deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and shake the pan and stir until the crumbs are nice and toasty, 4-5 minutes. Transfer crumbs to a bowl large enough to keep the crumbs from steaming. Wipe out the saucepan.
In the same saucepan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil slides easily across the skillet, add the shallots and a good grinding of black pepper. After a few minutes, before the shallots take on any color, add the chopped anchovies. Stir the mixture until the anchovies have more or less dissolved. Add the vermouth and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the ramps and lemon zest and remove the mixture from heat.
Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes, then ladle out 1/2 cup of the pasta water and add it to the ramp mixture. Tilting the saucepan, puree the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth.
Continue to cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and toss with the ramp purée over moderate heat 1 to 2 minutes. Serve promptly, passing the bowl of crumbs for sprinkling. (Some people don’t like crumbs on their pasta.)
Yield: 4 servings
Gourmet Guy at 11:38AM on 05/02/08
I recently found some ramps through a guy who sells produce to restaurants. $18 a pound. They were very good in a potato gratin. But, I'm not so sure they were $18 a pound good. Maybe $9 a pound good...
MargieinDallas at 1:50PM on 05/02/08
hey slashchef - i just saw ramps recently somewhere in seattle....can't remember if it was at the ballard farmer's market, pike place, or ballard market. too many markets in the last two weeks!
dylinw at 3:15PM on 05/02/08
The pasta recipes all need cooking water
louisralph at 5:23PM on 05/09/08