Monday, April 27, 2009

Ramps!

Ramps

I first heard about ramps last year when I started frequenting the farmers markets as often as I could, but didn't pick them up until this year. What are ramps, anyways? They're a wild leek that has the bulb of a scallion with leaves that remind me of sage (without the fuzzies). A member of the onion family, ramps definitely had more bite than any onion I've ever had! Almost reminded me of garlic in its strength, but definitely onion in flavor. In my online searches I often came across the terms 'pungent' and 'stinky' to describe them. I picked up a small bunch and tried them out in 2 recipes, both of which I really enjoyed! Might not be the best choice for a first date though ;)

First up was a simple scrambled eggs with ramps, inspired by this recipe. Since I didn't have morels and asparagus on hand, I just kept it simple :) It was amazing how much flavor these 'simple' eggs had!!

Scrambled Eggs w/Ramps

The next day Amy posted a recipe for Linguine w/Sausage & Ramps and I knew that was next! Instead of linguine I had some very broken fettucine, which don't do the recipe justice--go check out the original post!! And don't be afraid of new veggies at your local farmers markets :)

Pasta w/Sausage & Ramps

29 comments:

Sharon said...

I have never tried or heard of ramps before! so, this is really interesting!

Esi said...

I'm so jealous of the ramps that all you east coasters get. Supposedly there are some here, but I haven't been able to find them.

Balance, Joy and Delicias! said...

so interesting... ramps..I've never heard of it... it looks like leeks but I guess a wild leek taste wilder and has more flavor! :)

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

I love finding new, exotic produce!

Ricki said...

Never heard of these, but they do sound delish. Bet they ramped up the flavor of those dishes! (sorry, couldn't resist. . ) ;)

Sara said...

Ramps can be hard to come by here - I do know where to get them, but it's a bit of a drive. These are great ways to use them!

Heather said...

mmmmm. that pasta with sausage and ramps looks amazing!

Amy said...

Never heard of ramps...interesting!

Fit Mommy said...

Awesome. Looks great. Will look for it.

Krista said...

My in laws have that growing all over the forest part of their fram but I had no idea they were called ramps!!! Thankd for the info!

Mrs. LC said...

mm looks interesting! I've never heard of them, and they sound very intensely flavored! Although you're probably correct in that they're not a first date ingredient. :)

Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

I haven't cooked with ramps yet - sounds delicious with scrambled eggs!

Juliana said...

Interesting...never even heard of ramps...should try, I am sure that the taste is great!

Unknown said...

Go you! Way to try new (somewhat intimidating) things!

Jess said...

I have never in my life heard of ramps. Thanks for the info.

Rosiecat24 said...

I love this post! Your description of ramps is great, especially the line about sage without the fuzzies. (I love sage, including its adorable fuzziness.)

I make it a point to screen any first dates for their feelings on onions. If they don't like onions, the relationship is doomed! Maybe someday a man will bring me a bouquet of ramps.

Pam said...

I've never tried them but will be on the look out for them at the farmer's market.

Kerstin said...

I always learn about the coolest ingredients on your blog! I'm going to look for them, I love leeks!

Annie said...

Cool, I've never heard of ramps before. They sound delicious though. I love cooking with leeks and of course garlic. So I know I would love these babies...

Pumpkin said...

I hadn't had ramps until this winter. One of the restaurants I worked at had a dish with crab cakes served on sauteed ramps. They are really unsual- I haven't seen them here, but I haven't really been looking for them.

vanillasugarblog said...

never tried these. but your eggs look good. I love fresh tarragon on my eggs.

Sagan said...

Never heard of ramps before- thanks for telling us all about them!

Maria said...

I haven't tried ramps, they look tasty!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

I wondered about them too but now I will try them. Your dishes look delicious.

MacDuff said...

Oh AWESOME!!! I used to live by this house and they grew ramps in their backyard, so a few times I snuck over and pulled a few! I love them in salads and eggs, I'm definitely going to try them in your pasta dish!

Fitnessista said...

i've never heard of ramps before! thanks for introducing me!everything looks amazing as usual :D

Diana said...

THANK YOU! I have been wondering what ramps are and it has been bothering the heck out of me, haha...

Yasmeen said...

Scramble sounds yum for breakfast.Farmer's markets is a great place to find such fresh and at times unusual produce:)

Joanne said...

I can't WAIT for the farmer's markets just so I can try out new things. I've been seeing fiddlehead ferns at Shaw's and I've been thinking of picking some up although I have no idea what to do with them. Ramps sound really intriguing, especially with the sausage and pasta!

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