What's Fresh - Ramps

1) Trim off the root ends of the ramps, and clean them by removing the outermost layer of the white bulb. Be careful to wipe off any remaining dirt or slime. Wash them and spin or towel dry.
2) Fill your largest pot with water, salt it (2 tablespoon per gallon), and bring to a rapid boil - a large pot promotes better cooking.
3) Cook pasta till al dente, scooping out a cup of pasta cooking water near the end once the starch from the pasta has leached into it.
4) While the pasta is cooking, separate the white bulb from the green leaf of each ramp and chop the white bulb finely. Stack the green leaves and slice in half lengthwise. Julienne the cured pork into slices, ½ inch if you are using speck or prosciutto, ¼ inch if you use bacon.
5) Using a large sauté pan or saucier, cook the chopped whites in oil, salting with sea salt for 2 minutes over medium high. Add in the cured pork and cook for 1 minute more. Add the butter in and then the Ramp greens, cook until they are just wilted adding a bit of sea salt and black pepper along the way.
6) Remove from the heat and wait for the pasta to finish cooking, don’t forget to reserve some of the cooking water.
7) Drain pasta and add 2/3 of it back to the cooking pot, which will still retain some heat. Stir in the Ramp mixture, grate in ½ cup of cheese (more or less to taste)
8) Add the eggs and toss quickly to distribute evenly. Pour 2 tablespoons of the pasta water in and add the rest of the pasta. Stir and evaluate. If it seems stiff add a bit more pasta water, and if it needs pepper, salt or cheese put it in.
9) Serve with extra grated cheese, sea salt and a pepper mill for tableside addition

Pickled Ramps – adapted over the years from a Tom Collichio recipe given away at the Greenmarket

3 bunches of Ramps, white parts only
1 cup white wine vinegar – try Four Monks, Maille or Colavita
1 cup bottled water
½ cup sugar
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon coriander seed, mustard seed, black peppercorns, fennel seed
1 dried hot chile pepper – de arbol, cayenne or other

1) Clean Ramps and separate white from green as described above, reserving greens for another use – Gothamist suggests using them as you would spinach and serve grilled shrimp or firm white fish on top.
2) Prepare brine bringing vinegar, water, sugar and wine to a boil for 1 minute.
3) Add dried spices and remove from the heat after 1 minute
4) Blanch Ramp bottoms in heavily salted water (should taste salty like sea water) for 1-2 minutes, till just after (15 seconds) the remaining greens on the Ramp bottoms turn very bright green.
5) Drain and cool quickly using ice and running cold water.
6) Pour brine over Ramps and let sit for 3-5 days, after which you should use them or prepare them for storing. We vacuum seal 3-5 at a time so that they are portioned out for future use till next Ramp season

Pickled Ramp suggested uses:

Mixed in with braised rabbit and carrot gnocchi
Canape with marinated shrimp
Incorporated into a topping for lamb shank