Wild Ramps And Asparagus Recipes

GRILLED RAMPS WITH ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Trim and discard the root hairs from ramps. Trim tough ends from asparagus.
• Place ramps and asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
• Arrange ramps and asparagus on the hot grill in a single layer. Grill until hot and grill marks appear, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to platter, and serve hot or at room temperature.

SOLE WITH RAMPS, ASPARAGUS AND ROASTED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, place in a baking dish and toss with 1 teaspoon of butter. Roast until brown and crisp, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large, wide pot over medium heat. Add the ramps and cook until just wilted, about 4 minutes. Add the wine and water, cover with parchment paper, lower the heat and braise until tender, about 25 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Keep warm.
• Blanch the asparagus in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes. Drain. Combine the flour, cornmeal, 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper in a wide, shallow dish. Coat the sole in the mixture on both sides. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the sole and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the sole from the pan and keep warm.
• Wipe out the pan and add the remaining teaspoon of oil. When hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the escarole and stir-fry until wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Wipe out the pan again and add 1 teaspoon of butter. Add the asparagus and cook 3 minutes.
• Toss the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper and parsley. Place 1 sole fillet in the center of each of 4 plates. Mound the ramps, potatoes and escarole around the fish and cross the asparagus over the sole. Serve immediately.

GRILLED RAMP AND ASPARAGUS QUICHE

Steps:

• Make the dough: Place flour and butter in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix until small beads form; do not overmix.
• In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, lard, and salt; slowly add water mixture to flour mixture and mix until a smooth dough has formed. Do not overmix. Form dough into a disk; cover and transfer to refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 16 inches in diameter. Carefully transfer dough to a 9-inch-round, 2 3/4-inch-high springform pan. Transfer to refrigerator or freezer to chill for 30 minutes.
• Prick holes all over bottom using the tines of a fork. Cut six 8-inch squares of cheesecloth. Fill each piece of cheesecloth with 1 cup dried beans; tie with kitchen twine to enclose. Place each bean bag close to the inside edge of pan to keep sides from falling down. Transfer to oven; bake for 50 minutes. Remove bean bags and continue cooking until golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• Make the filling: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; generously salt water and return to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath. Add asparagus to boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and immediately transfer to ice-water bath to cool. Drain and set aside on paper towels.
• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place ramps in a medium bowl, and add olive oil and season with salt; toss to combine. Place ramps on grill and cook, turning once, until leaves are slightly charred, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
• Heat canola oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add spring garlic, shallots, and butter; cook until butter is frothy. Stir in marjoram and remove from heat. Let cool slightly. In a large bowl mix together asparagus, ramps, and mushrooms; set aside.
• Place cream, milk, eggs, egg yolks, and mace in the jar of a blender; blend on high until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place half of both cheeses in an even layer in the bottom of prepared crust. Top with half of the vegetable mixture and half of the custard. Repeat layering process.
• Place quiche on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to oven; bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the quiche comes out clean and top is browned, about 2 hours and 20 minutes to 2 hours and 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
• Using a serrated knife, trim away excess crust from top edge of pan. Unmold and serve at room temperature.

WILD RAMPS AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Wash the ramps very well in several changes of cold water. Trim away the roots. Using a sharp knife, chop both the white and the green parts of the ramps into 2-inch pieces.
• Trim the asparagus by breaking off the tough stems where they snap. Discard the stems.
• Cook the asparagus in the boiling water for 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the stalks. They should be just tender to the bite, but still firm and green.
• Drain the asparagus and run them briefly under cold water to cool. Chop into 2-inch pieces.
• Bring 1 cup of lightly salted water to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ramps and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes, or until soft.
• Drain the ramps and run them briefly under cold water to cool. Using your hands, squeeze the ramps in a clean kitchen towel or a paper towel to remove any excess water.
• Gently toss the asparagus and ramps with the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a serving bowl until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill well before serving.

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH RAMPS, MORELS, AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Melt butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ramp bulbs and stems to skillet; sauté 3 minutes. Add green tops, asparagus, and mushrooms; sauté until ramps are soft and asparagus is crisp-tender, about 9 minutes. Add eggs to skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir until eggs are very softly set, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide scrambled eggs between 2 plates and serve immediately.

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS, ARUGULA AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add a generous amount of salt. Add the asparagus. Cook pencil-thin asparagus for two minutes, three to four minutes if stems are medium-thick. Transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain and set aside.
• Place the ricotta in a large pasta bowl.
• Bring the water back to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook al dente, following the directions for timing on the package but checking a minute before the suggested cooking time. Stir 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water into the ricotta. Drain the pasta and toss at once with the olive oil and ricotta, the arugula, asparagus and Parmesan. Serve hot.