Now that you understand my love of all things garlicy and oniony, you'll understand how I excited I was to learn about an onion called Ramp. It is, in layman's terms, a cross between an onion and a garlic clove. What a culinarily powerful combination! I am just salivating thinking about the different recipes that would be transformed with this tasty addition.
Any pasta dish of course, pesto, whipped potatoes, lamb, or even in a nice spring salad! My favorite recipe that I found so fare, courtesy of the Food Network, is:
Baby Ramp and New Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 1 pound fresh ramps, cleaned and cut into 2-inch pieces
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 10 cups chicken stock
- 2 1/2 pounds new potatoes, quartered
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 8 slices of Brioche bread (about 1/4-inch thick)
- Small bottle of White Truffle Oil
- 4 slices of Chicory Farms Desoto Cheese (about 1/4-inch thick)
Directions
Melt the butter in a 6-quart stock pot over
medium-high heat. Add the ramps. Season with salt and black pepper.
Saute until the ramps are wilted and soft, about 6 minutes. Add the bay
leaf and garlic, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the stock and potatoes and
bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer,
uncovered, until the potatoes are very soft and the mixture is thick and
cream, about 1 hour. Remove the soup from the heat. Discard the bay
leaf. Slowly add the cream. Stir to blend. Reseason the soup. Brush each
side of the bread with the truffle oil. Place a piece of cheese on top
of four slices of the bread. Place the remaining slices of bread on top
of the cheese. Place the sandwiches on the hot griddle. Grill the
sandwiches for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden and the
cheese has melted. Cut each sandwich into five finger-size slices. Serve
the sandwiches with the soup.
