Food Friday…
Ramps, which are an early spring plant, have a relatively short season. Their growing season is from late March to mid-May. When I was able to obtain another batch of ramps at Tom Thompson’s farm, I was really happy. Today, I used most of the ramps for two dishes…
The first thing that I made was a pesto with ramps and fresh basil. I found a recipe on line and I mostly followed it, except for the fact that I don’t really measure when I’m cooking. When I’m baking, yes, I always measure because there are chemical reactions involved. But cooking is a different story. Let’s just say that baking is a science experiment, and cooking is an art form. But I digress (just a tad). So, anyway, I’ll give you the website for the recipe: https://www.vanillabeancuisine.com/lemony-ramp-pesto-recipe/.
Having a food processor is awesome. I bought this one about ten years ago at a garage sale. It has worked well for all of these years, and it does not require an upgrade because it’s so sturdy. Speaking about stuff that makes the food preparation process easier, there’s the lemon zester that I obtained via the Facebook page, “Buy Nothing Grand Island.” That is such a wonderful tool! I can’t say enough about it. I used to try to use regular graters to zest my lemons, but that was never any fun. The real lemon zester makes the process so easy. Which is nice because lemon zest adds a great flavor to food.
There’s my pesto! Isn’t that a lovely shade of green? That color comes from a combination of ramps and fresh basil.
Ramp pesto over rice noodles is very tasty!
I also made a pot of ramp and potato soup! I’d finished the last pot of soup, and I wanted to make more, especially because I had been told that this past weekend was the last weekend that ramps would be available. I’ve enjoyed the ramps so much, and I was happy to have one more week of ramp happiness. Here is a link to the soup recipe! https://learningandyearning.com/ramps-or-wild-leeks/
Here are the chopped up ramps and celery, ready for cooking.
The soup is cooking, and the potatoes are softening. This soup is actually a two-day process. Yesterday, I made a soup stock from a rotisserie chicken that I had purchased at the supermarket. The stock takes about three to four hours to cook, simmering at a low heat, with a lid on the pot. My mother taught me how to make the soup. I have altered the recipe a bit but, mostly, it’s the recipe that my mother gave me.
Once the soup has simmered long enough for all of the vegetables to be soft, I puree it with an immersion blender. That’s another cooking tool that I really like. It makes the process of pureeing the soup very easy. Once I’ve done that, I add a cup of creamy oat milk. The recipe, however, calls for one cup of half and half, but that’s a lot of lactose that my tummy might not appreciate. So, I use the oat milk instead.
Here is my soup, garnished with parsley!
Until next time! I hope that you enjoy delicious foods and that you have delightful kitchen experiences.
