Fiddlehead, Potato, and Ramp Pizza

I can't tell you how nice it is to go to the Greenmarket early Friday morning.  I am almost hesitant to tell you, because I don't want people to hear and it to become crowded!  Anyways, I made my rounds last Friday on a mission to get ramps, rhubarb, asparagus, and fiddlehead ferns.  I ended up with all of those and a small basil plant, eggs, and shiitake mushrooms.  In the booth where I bought the fiddleheads and ramps, some guys from The Spotted Pig (my favorite restaurant) were buying a hefty load of fiddleheads!  By the way, I am noticing a trend - if you carry herb plants with you, someone is bound to talk to you.   It happened to me with my rosemary, and it happened to with my basil on Friday.

I Heart Asparagus

After months of anticipation, the Green Market finally has asparagus! I love asparagus. It has a grassy fresh taste that is delicious steamed, grilled, or sauted. It is high in antioxidants such as vitamins A and C and is also high in fiber and potassium.

Asparagus is a member of the Lily family and grows in sandy soil. The shoots have to be picked daily (depending on the amount of sunlight is can be less often), otherwise the asparagus will grow into a bushy plant if left unattended.

Look for asparagus with firm stalks and tightly closed tips. The thicker the stalks, the older the asparagus plant is. Wrap the stem ends with a moist paper towel and then wrap loosely in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days for best quality. You can also stand the stalks up in about 2 inches of water in the refrigerator.
A few weeks ago I went to the Food For Thought Film Festival and saw the documentary Asparagus! Stalking The American Life. It tells the story of Ocean County, Michigan's struggle to keep their asparagus industry afloat as the US government creates a Free Trade agreement with Peru in order to reduce drug production. Click here to watch the preview. It is a heartbreaking story, but the quirky community makes it fun to watch at the same time. To visit the movie's website click here.

Last night I made scrambled eggs with asparagus, ramps, and Shiitake mushrooms. It was simple and delicious. It was just a bit of chopping :) I based it off a Gourmet Magazine recipe that called for Morel mushrooms. I couldn't find Morels at the Green Market, so I opted for Shiitake. You can find dried Morels at most grocery stores, which would be a good alternative. Click here for the original Scrambled Eggs with Ramps, Morels, and Asparagus recipe.
For information about asparagus click here.

For more asparagus recipes click here.

Potato Pancake with Ramps

I love potatoes - baked, fried, mashed, pretty much any way. Since ramps are still in season for a while longer, I have been trying to come up with some different recipes to use them in. Basically you can replace onions or garlic with ramps to get a similar flavor profile. I decided to make a potato pancake to go along with my blueberry pancakes. I combined shredded Yukon gold potatoes with sauted ramps and shredded Parmesan to create my pancake. You can use a cheese grater, a food processor, or a mandoline (like I did ) to shred the potatoes into a nice hash. The prep work takes some time if you don't have a food processor, but once everything is combined most of the work is done.

Here are the ingredients for a large potato pancake:
-4 Yukon Gold potatoes (or whatever you want)
-1 bunch ramps, chopped into small dice
-1 cup Parmesan cheese (or more if you like)
-Olive oil
-Salt and pepper to taste

To begin, wash your ramps and chop into a small dice. Remove the outer skin like you would an onion and discard the roots. Heat oil over medium heat in large saute pan (you can use the same pan for the actual pancake. Add ramps and season with salt and pepper. Saute until tender and leaves are wilted. Set aside for a later.
Peel potatoes and shred into fine hash. Place shredded potatoes in a large bowl lined with clean dish towel (not terry cloth). Wrap potatoes in towel and twist and squeeze to remove excess water. It important to get as much water removed as possible to insure a crisp crust.
Finely shred parmesan cheese. Combine cheese, ramps and potatoes. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat a couple tablespoons of oil to large saute pan over medium high. Place potato mixture in saute pan and flatten into an even layer. Let cook for about 15 minutes - do not stir during the 15 minutes so you can create a crisp crust. At 15 minutes check to see if you have a golden brown crust and that it is loose from the pan. Place a plate on top and flip pan to release pancake.
Then slide the uncooked side down into pan. Cook for about 12 more minutes until golden brown. Slide out of pan, slice and serve. If you aren't done cooking the rest of your meal, you can always pop the pancake in the oven at the lowest temperature on a baking sheet until everything is ready.You can make this pancake without the ramps and just add herbs.

Ramps!

Goodies from the Green Market on 4/11/09: Maple Candy, Fingerling Potatoes, Ramps, and Apple Donuts.

I went to the Green Market in Union Square last weekend and came across ramps. I had eyed them last year, but wasn't for sure what to do with them. This year I decided I wasn't going to miss my chance. I did a little research to figure out what exactly ramps are. There are couple of posts on The Kitchen blog, as well as recipes on Epicurious and Martha Stewart. Yet nothing sums up what a ramp is as well as The New Food Lover's Companion by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. This book is a thick dictionary describing cooking terms and foods. According to page 560:

"This wild onion grows from Canada to the Carolinas and resembles a scallion with broad leaves. Also known as a wild leek, ramp has an assertive, garlicky-onion flavor. It can be found - usually only in specialty produce markets - from March to July. Choose those that are firm with bright-colored greenery. Wrap tightly in a plastic bag and refrigerate for up to a week. Trim the root ends just before using. Though the flavor of a ramp is slightly stronger than the leek, scallion, or onion, it can be used - raw or cooked - in many dishes as a substitute for any of those three."

You can do a lot with ramps if you start thinking about them as an onion, scallion, or leek. You can roast them with potatoes, sprinkle them in miso soup, scatter them in a frittata or toss them in pasta like I did last night.

Here are some recipe suggestions:

Roasted chicken, Ramps, and Potatoes
Scrambled Eggs with Ramps, Morels, and Asparagus
Spaghetti with Ramps