Earthy Delights Recipe
http://www.earthy.com/
Spaghetti with RampsOh, for the uninitiated this is a real experience. I'd love
to be able to try ramps again for the first time. This is
a peppery, pungent, and wonderfully flavorful experience.
Their strong flavor is mellowed out some in this recipe -
backed up, as it is, with lots of pasta. For those who
love ramps, this is comfort food at its very best. Try
this with a side dish of sautéed
fresh morel mushrooms, crusty
bread, tossed greens, and a round of good
Ingredients:
½ pound fresh Ramps
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Trim the roots from the fresh ramps and peel off
the outer skin on the bulbs. Blanch in a pot of boiling
water for about 3 seconds, then transfer immediately to
a cutting board. Coarsely chop the ramps and put in a
blender.
Cook the pasta according to instructions, then
ladle out ½ cup of the pasta water and add it to the
blender.
Puree the ramps until smooth and then season
with salt.
Continue cooking the pasta according to
instructions, then ladle out about 1 cup of additional
water before draining the spelt in a colander.
Return
the pasta to the pot with the ramp puree and toss with
the Parmesan over a moderate heat, for one to two
minutes.
Thin the sauce if needed with the reserved
pasta water. Serve the pasta topped with toasted
bread crumbs (below).
Toasted Bread Crumb Topping
3 slices whole grain bread, about ½ inch thick each
2 Tbsps. extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the bread into
cubes, then grind into crumbs in a food processor.
Spread the crumbs on a shallow baking pan and cook
in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally. The
crumbs should turn a golden brown in about ten
minutes.
Pour the crumbs into a bowl and stir in
the oil and salt.
Directions:
Oh, for the uninitiated this is a real experience. I'd love
to be able to try ramps again for the first time. This is
a peppery, pungent, and wonderfully flavorful experience.
Their strong flavor is mellowed out some in this recipe -
backed up, as it is, with lots of pasta. For those who
love ramps, this is comfort food at its very best. Try
this with a side dish of sautéed fresh morel mushrooms, crusty
bread, tossed greens, and a round of good quality
Camembert cheese. Following is a recipe for a wonderful
toasted bread crumb topping which makes this an even more
wonderful experience. This recipe is adapted from one
in the April 2000 issue of Gourmet Magazine.