It's ramp season again!
Q: What are ramps?
A: They're sort of like an onion, sort of like garlic. Taste is similar to both the onion and garlic, but then again, not really.
Q: Where can I buy ramps?
A: From Doug. :) He sometimes lists them here while in season. Or you can e-mail him at wrn453(at)aol.com
Hope that helps. :)
I get my ramps from a guy in Ohio. He picks them fresh each season, and ships them to me. This year I got my package in the mail with beautiful young and tender ramps, and the first dishes I made were Ramp Scampi, and Stuffed Trout.
For both dishes, the ramps are cleaned of course, then diced. Each dish was made for just 2 people, so adjust according to servings needed.
Do this first, then set aside:
For the trout stuffing, I simply sauteed 1/4 cup of ramps (mixed white & green parts) with 2 small stalks chopped celery in some butter & olive oil, and then added some cubed dry bread, about 2 cups, chicken broth added until right consistency for stuffing was achieved - not too dry, not too mushy - then salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning, pinch or two of dried thyme, and some parsley. Then it was put into a 350 oven for about 20 min to set up.
Then the trout, which I bought already cleaned, was simply stuffed with the stuffing. I then took 1 large egg, scrambled it, and poured it over the stuffing inside the two pieces of trout. This will help glue it together a little. Plus, egg is just good. Cooked in the oven at 450 for about 10 min.
While the trout was cooking, I made the shrimp:
I sauteed 1 lb of shrimp in butter and a little olive oil, 2 diced garlic cloves, the diced ramps (about 1/4 cup) and salt & pepper. Once cooked through, I added 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of chicken broth and continued to cook on medium until liquid was reduced by half. Adjusted salt & pepper to taste and a squeeze or two of lemon. If not garlicky enough for you at this point, you can add some more fresh chopped garlic to punch up the garlicky-ness. If you like spicy, some red pepper flakes are good in this too.
