Tag: ramps

spaghetti with ramps

dinner, 4/?/11

This is an extremely simple meal, but it’s very seasonal, and entirely dependent upon the geographic location of the kitchen, since ramps (wild leeks, Allium tricoccum) are available only for a few weeks in the early spring, and only in certain areas along the coast of eastern North America, from South Carolina into Canada.  They are also becoming extremely popular, the darlings of a growing food sub-cult, and that  is apparently exposing them to overharvesting.

  • Ligurian olives and Roberto’s grissini
  • spaghetti (superb Afeltra artisanal pasta from Gragnano, near Naples) tossed with sauteed ramps from the Greenmarket and seasoned with red chili flakes, then finished with a topping of homemade dried sourdough bread crumbs which had been heated in a bit of olive oil with a pinch of salt
  • wine: Sicilian white, Corvo Fiore 2009, from Eataly Wines

[because I had nothing current, the image used here is actually one used in this post describing a 4/24/10 meal]

Atlantic Sea Bass 4/24/10

dinner, April 23, 2009

white pizza with ramps and guanciale

white_pizza_ramps_guanciale_detail

  • home-made white pizza with ramps and guanciale, using frozen pizza dough from Whole Foods, prepared and covered with shredded mozarella, ramps from the Union Square Greenmarket briefly parboiled, with the addition of chopped and slightly pan-warmed fresh guanciale from the Murray’s Cheese located at Grand Central Market, and finished with grated Parmignano-Reggiano before sliding it all into a hot oven.
  • wine:  Venaccia di San Gimignano “Rondolino” 2006 from Philippe Wine

It was the first time I’d ever attempted a pizza of any kind, with any kind or form of dough, and until I had put it into the oven on a previously-heated stoneware pan I thought it was going to be a total disaster.  Instead, I think it may have been the best pizza I’ve ever had.

[est. total cost of meal for two, without wine:  $10.00]

There is a related post on jameswagner.com.

[images by Barry]