Cooking with Ramps

 You really have to like ramps to work with them because they are covered in mud.  I spent almost 2 hours cleaning 1 pound of ramps.

 Mud can hide in the area where the green meats the white so they have to be rinsed thoroughly.

 One recipe I made with them was a rustic ramp quiche.  You just make your favorite quiche crust, roll it in a rough circle and roll the edges.

 Chop the green part of the ramp and press it into the crust.

Mix some egg, cream, diced ramps and salt and pepper.  Spread it over the crust and sprinkle with Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Bake for about 1/2 hour at 400 degrees.

It should be deep golden and crisp on the bottom.

 Next up I made shrimp and grits with ramps.  I made stone ground grits using ramp butter.

 I added grated Double Gloucester cheese to the grits.

 I pan fried the white parts of the ramps until they were crisp.

 And pan fried the green part until they browned.

 I sauteed some shrimp with some bacon, diced red pepper, Cajun seasoning and salt and pepper and served them over the grits topped with the ramps.

This was brunch for The Blog Tech and his fiance last Sunday.