In the Spring, local farmer’s markets are full of seasonal produce. The tables of beautiful vegetables, fruits, fresh meats, and local items just scream for you to take them home and fulfill their destinies. One of those items that has a very short season are ramps. Never heard of them? Well, here’s your chance to broaden your horizons.
Here’s the (albeit maybe boring if you’re not a gardener) background on these things. They are wild leeks, and have a mild flavor akin to their big brothers, the full-sized leeks. They are part of the allium family, which includes garlic, green onions and other bulb varieties that produce flavors along the garlic spectrum. Long story short (just like their growing season), they’re delicious. Diced, chopped, sliced, grilled, sauteed–do what you will with them, they are not to be missed if you have a chance to grab them.
Which brings me to this wonderful, delicate, creamy, luscious, lovely…OK, I’ll stop here. This dish highlights these flavors perfectly. Oh, and did I mention it’s the next course in the multi-course Italian wine dinner I’m highlighting this week?
Sadly, timing has never been my strong suit. So that means that I usually miss that month or two that they may pop up at a farmer’s market. Boo!!! Luckily, like many veggies that have close kissin’ cousins in the food world, baby leeks or scallions do the trick as a substitute when needed. And because I seem to be on an “easy to make” kick, this one fits in to that category as well. The simplicity of flavors will blow your socks off, folks.
A great wine pairing for this simple dish? A Soave (pronounced So-Ah-Ve). Yes, like “Rico Su-A-Vey” (there’s a reference for you), but much better. It’s a dry Italian white wine, with a slightly bitter note. While that may not sound appealing on its own, when paired with the salty, peppery pasta, it will transform the wine–I promise. And you can look like a genius when seeing people’s recognition that yes, Virginia, wine CAN taste different with the right food. I am a fan of the Armani Soave, but ask your local wine shop for a recommendation.
Salute!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 people | 30 minutes |
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This dish is so darned simple, but will pack such a punch, that you will be hearing from your guests for some time that there must be some other secret to the success of the dish. Shhhh...only you have to know that you were able to make such simple ingredients sing so well! Mum's the word!
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- 1/2 lb. dried pasta (I prefer thin spaghetti)
- 8 oz. fresh ramps (substitute scallions or baby leeks as needed)
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- olive oil
- Cook pasta per directions on the package until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta; toss pasta with enough olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Rinse ramps, or whichever substitute you are using. Slice into 1/4 inch slices, separating the green and the white portions. Dice parsley and set aside.
- Heat large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Drizzle with olive oil and heat just until the oil begins to smoke. Toss pasta in pan until heated through and the pasta just begins to brown, about 2 minutes.
- Add white parts of ramps, stirring frequently until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the white wine, which will immediately bubble up and begin to burn off the alcohol in the wine. Stir in Parmesan until pasta is coated. Add the green portions of the ramps and allow to soften, about 1 minute. Top with parsley, and salt & pepper to taste.
As mentioned above, if you can find ramps, you won't be sorry. If it's one of the months of the year when finding them is impossible, scallions (green onions) or baby leeks work very well. I've used both, and it's a matter of taste. The scallions will have a more pronounced onion flavor, while the leeks will be more mild.
This dish makes a fantastic first course for a multi-course meal. The Italians generally start with a salty bite (see yesterday's post), then the pasta course, and the on to the main course of meat of some sort (that's tomorrow!). And of course, no meal is complete without a sweet finish, which we'll get to as well. This pasta is just enough for that first course and gets your guests going with the full wine dinner experience. Fantastico!
Such a warm and comforting looking dish! Love that you used leeks…yum!
That looks delicious. What a great use for ramps!
Well hello tomorrow night’s dinner! This looks like a great way to take advantage of the fresh stuff. This seems like a good side dish for a nice steak or herbed chicken breast. Great photos!
Ramps grow wild at my parents house. I’ll have to grab some next time I visit. Sounds tasty! (And I do love leeks)
Jealous! Would love to have access to ramps on a more regular basis! Would love to hear other ways that you use them as well!