I have seen ramps and I have heard many chefs exclaim how wonderful they taste, so never having tasted them, it was time to buy some when I saw these fresh young wild leeks at my local greengrocer. My choice of preparation was Ramps Escabeche. I thought that this condiment would be tasty with some aged cheddar cheese or just some fresh crunchy bread. I finally had occasion to serve this delicious recipe recently and I have to agree, ramps do live up to all their accolades.
Ingredients
- 1 large handful of ramps about 8 ounces
- drizzle of olive oil
Escabeche
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Gather all ingredients before starting recipe
Ramps
- Transfer 1 large handful of ramps to a colander and rinse well under cold running water, removing all the mud until the leaves and bulbs are clean.
- Trim the ramps, the same as you would clean springs onions.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in small skillet until very hot, about 2 minutes, and add the ramps in small bunches and cook until the ramps are slightly charred. About 1-2 minutes. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Chop the ramps into 2" lengths and transfer the charred ramps to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, folding the greens as necessary to fit.
Escabeche
- Combine 1/4 cup honey and 3/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over medium high heat and cook until reduced by one third, about 4-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup olive oil, stir to combine and the pour mixture over the ramps in the jar. Press the ramps down so that they are all covered in the liquid.
- Set aside until completely cool, then close the jar. The preserved ramps will keep up to 2 months in the refrigerator.
