Everything Ramps

 There are many excellent ways to use ramps but there is one major downside...cleaning them.  I bought these "cleaned" and this is what they looked like.  Uncleaned ramps look like a shovel full of mud with green leaves sticking out of it.

 After a very long time, they finally looked like this.

 Guess what I did on my first day off from cooking for the after school kids?  I spent it cooking for friends!  I wanted to make them a small ramp feast since ramps are still not all that well known in my area.  When you do find them, they are quite expensive and most people aren't sure what to do with them.  I started by making ramp butter.

 Soften 1 pound of good butter and mix in about 20 diced ramps, 1 T. lemon juice and 2 tsp. lemon zest, cracked black pepper and sea salt to taste. Mix it thoroughly.

 I packed some in jars for my friends and froze a lot of it so I will have it when ramp season is over.

 Next, I made ramp chowder:

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 medium bunch ramps, bulbs & greens divided
• 1 large leek, trimmed, cleaned well, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• pinch dried marjoram
• 2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
• 6 cups chicken broth, homemade if possible.  Homemade adds a creaminess that store bought won't.
• 1 container chicken demi glace or several bouillon cubes
• zest + juice of 1 small lemon
• 2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced to ½-inch cubes
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 C. cream

METHODS

1. In a heavy stockpot melt butter over low heat. Finely chop ramp bulbs; reserve leaves.  Add ramp bulbs, leeks, carrots and marjoram to the pot. Sprinkle with a large pinch of salt; stir to coat in butter and sauté, over medium-low heat, until vegetables are softened.
2. Add stock, 2 teaspoons of salt, and potatoes and demi glace. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Using an immersion blender, partially blend soup. Add black pepper, taste and adjust salt. Bring soup back to a lively simmer. Chiffonade ramp leaves and add to the soup. Cover, turn off heat, and allow to sit until ramp flavor has suffused the soup, but leaves are still bright green, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust flavors once more. Stir in the cream and serve warm.

 I also made ramp bread to spread the butter on and dip in the chowder.  You can find this recipe on my sidebar.

The soup packed up and ready to go.

I wanted to make them a dessert too so I made strawberry cobblers.

  

Here is the recipe :

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 32 ounces strawberries, trimmed, hulled, and quartered
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• juice of 1 medium lemon

For the topping:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• zest of 1 medium lemon
• pinch of salt
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup milk
• sanding sugar, optional

Directions:

To make the filling:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Stir together the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Set aside while you make the topping.

To make the topping:

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt.
2. Add the cream cheese and butter. Mix with a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingers until the butter is about the size of small peas.
3. Add about two-thirds of the milk, and mix to combine. Continue adding the remaining milk, and mix just until the dough comes together. (It’s fine if you don’t need to use quite all of the milk.)
4. Transfer the strawberry mixture to a 1-quart baking dish.
5. Drop the topping by about 1-tablespoon portions over the strawberry mixture. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
6. Place the pan on a lined, rimmed baking sheet to catch any leaks. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.

This should be served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.