Ramp Recipes

Ramp with Lamb or Beef

This is an old family favorite recipe, perfect for spring time, i.e., the time around Easter. Ideally, this dish is prepared over a slow, smoldering and open fire on a barbecue. Don't place the meat too close to the fire, a good 3 or 4 hour cooking time should be perfect for a 3 o 5 lb. leg.

Buy a boned leg of lamb, and carefully unwrap the string jacket. Try your best to keep the string wrap in one piece, so you can re-use it.

Next, dig up about 10 whole ramp plants from the forest, and wash the bulbs, stems and leaves- the entire plant.

Next, place the entire ramp plants carefully on the flattened unwrapped leg of lamb, they should be touching but not over lap. Carefully roll the leg back up and tie the string wrap around it. Then carefully put the leg onto the rack above the slow fire for about 3 hours.

We use Sassafras wood, it's the best to use. Sassafras will give the meat a unique flavor, and also a slightly fruity aroma, while turning the meat a scarlet red. We don't discard the ramps, but eat them as a vegetable with the dinner. They have all of the lamb flavor, which tastes great. Bon Appetite

Ramp muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 ramp plants, leaves and bulbs, the hairy roots cut off and chopped.
• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 tbs. of baking powder
• 1 egg
• 3 tbs. of olive oil
• 2 tbs. of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 cups of Buttermilk to make the mixture into a good thick(yogurt thick) consistency. Add the buttermilk to your own preference.

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder in bowl. When thoroughly mixed, add the ramps, egg, cheese and olive oil. When all the ingredients are incorporated, add the buttermilk to a consistency like yogurt.

Pour mixture into muffin cups or tins and let sit for 10 minutes. This resting while rising, makes the muffins more puffy. Bake around 25 minutes or until browned.

Place on rack to cool.

Ramp Quiche

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2 cups flour
• 4 oz. butter (8 tbsps.), cold
• 4-5 tbsps. water

Filling:

• 6 strips bacon
• 4 oz. mushrooms
• 1/2 lbs. ramps, cleaned
• 10 fresh garlic sprouts or 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsps. Butter
• 3 oz. swiss cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup cream or half-an-half
• 1/4 tsp. each salt & pepper

Directions

1. Put flour into bowl of food processor. Cut butter into smaller pieces and add to bowl. Process in spurts until the butter is mixed in, forming small pieces. Add 4-5 tbsps. cold water as needed to form loose dough. Gather into ball and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 20 minutes.
2. Take chilled dough and roll into circle. Place in quiche dish, use fork to prick holes in bottom of crust. Chill for 30 minutes.
3. Bake crust at 375 degrees for 15 minutes with weights inside of dish to prevent crust from sinking. Remove weights and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
4. Sauté bacon in pan until brown and crisp. Remove bacon, place in a bowl, and dump out grease. Chop mushrooms and sauté in 1 tbsp. butter until slightly browned and they have thrown off liquid. Remove from pan and put with cooked bacon.
5. Cut the ramps, separating the bottom white stalks from the leaves. Reserve the leaves. Cut the garlic sprouts, removing and discarding top leafy part (Or mince garlic cloves). Chop the bottom ramp stalks and garlic sprouts. Melt 1 tbsp. butter in pan and add ramp bottoms and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened and aromatic. Meanwhile, chop ramp leaves. Add to pan and sauté, stirring constantly for 30 seconds until wilted. Remove from heat and put into bowl with bacon and mushrooms.
6. Put bacon, mushroom, and ramp filling into cooled crust. Grate cheese over filling and spread out over top evenly. Whisk together cream, milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Pour over filling. Bake at 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until set.