Let’s start with some lovely wild ramps, and dress the platter with everything early spring.
Spring is fickle in New England. Last week, we had some rain, fog, some sleet, a bit of snow, temperatures that hit 70, and evenings with the fireplace burning. But the rains have greened things up, the leaves are just starting to pop out on some of the trees, and wild foraged sprouts are making their way above ground again.
Seeking treasure
I have a special place in my heart for the wild at this time of year. As a child, I would accompany my aunt and uncle to the woods for two very different tasks. My Aunt Mary was an avid antique bottle hunter. In the woods, she would look for, and almost always find, the ruins of old cellar holes. She had an amazing knack of looking at the site and figuring out where the house dump would have been located. Her treasures included bottles of all types and colors, from medicine to beer. Her favorite were the small, brightly colored bottles which lined all the windows in her house, beautiful light catchers.
Let’s find mushrooms
My Uncle Leonard didn’t care about the bottles, he was always on the search for the tasty treats of the forest. Mushrooms were his specialty all year long from the first elusive morels, then on to oyster, chanterelle, redcaps, lion’s main, and, one of our favorites, the massive hen-o’-the-woods (maitake) in fall.
Spring sprouts
But this time of year, it was fiddleheads and ramps all the way. Fiddleheads are the tightly curled sprouts of the ostrich fern, a true delicacy that grows in our woods in abundance in the early spring just as the trees start to think about leafing out. Of course, you have to prep them properly, soak and blanch them thoroughly to remove the bitter tannins, but once that is accomplished, it’s flavor all the way.
A little delay
Most years, we have fiddlehead fern sprouts by now, a local wild treat, but last week’s cold blast delayed their appearance. However, my new forager friend Corey found a lovely stand of wild ramps, and I knew they would be at the center of my May Day supper. He harvests sustainably and is careful not to pull up the bulbs, just taking a leaf or two from each plant. Too many foragers just yank up whole stands of ramps, which means that stand will probably be depleted, possibly forever.
Pesto please
I decided to make a ramp pesto, and stuff it in some beautiful sole I found at the market, and garnish with chives from the garden. At the local farm stand, I found beautiful pea shoots, and spring-dug parsnips, which are also intensely flavored and very sweet. These I roasted and served with butter and the first mint leaves in the garden.
Greens and things
Baby spinach is a favorite, and this was simply steamed, sprinkled with sherry vinegar, and topped with some local goat cheese. A few wild morel mushrooms dressed them up. First of the season radishes, kale rabe, and sweet scallions rounded out the platter for our feast after a quick grilling.
Choose your delights
So many flavors of spring! Wherever you are, substitute the delights from your area, they will be the best. There’s always something just waiting to start off the season with style! No ramps? Make your pesto from another green or herb. Morels are elusive, but use any mushroom you love, local if possible. Swap out a different flat fish. Check out what your local farm stand or farmers markets are offering. It will all be good.
Spring Feast of Sole Stuffed with Ramp Pesto
- 1 lb. or so of sole or other flat-fish filets
- Ramp pesto, below
- 1 lemon
- A few snipped chives
- Splash of white wine
- Breadcrumbs
- Tablespoon of butter or vegan butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a small oven casserole dish. Pat the filets dry, then salt and pepper each side. Place the skinned side down on your working surface and smear a tablespoon or so of pesto on each. Starting with the thinnest side, roll up, then place in the baking dish, seam side down.
Pour a little white wine in the bottom of the pan, about a third cup or so depending on the size of your pan. Zest the lemon, then slice it and place the slices right in the pan. Sprinkle a bit of breadcrumbs over the top of each roll, then drizzle a bit of olive oil for browning.
Bake for about 15 minutes, then turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes just to lightly brown the top. Keep an eye on things, as these filets cook fast.
Plate the filets, and save the pan juices for a sauce, adding a tablespoon or so of sweet butter to thicken slightly if you like.
Wild Ramp Pesto
- 1 bunch ramps, ¼ lb. or so
- A couple of garlic cloves, chopped up
- Pistachios
- Zest and juice of a lemon
- Fruity extra-virgin olive oil
Prepare a large bowl of ice water with a colander or strainer placed inside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and plunge in the ramps. Let them blanch for about 30 seconds to set the color, then immediately place in the colander to chill in the ice water. This will keep the pesto from turning color in storage.
Squeeze out excess water and place cooled ramps, garlic cloves, nuts, and lemon zest and juice in a food processor, pulsing until everything is pulverized. Drizzle in oil until it is at the consistency you want. Season with salt and pepper.
To store, place in a jar with a bit more olive oil drizzled on top and use within a few days.
Foraging for Morels with Uncle Leonard
The oak leaves are the size of a mouse’s ear, and it rained last night, today might be the day.
How do you know?
You don’t. But look over there, under that apple tree.
Where? I only see leaves and bark.
That’s because you are looking too hard.
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What an amazing array of ‘ingredients’, wonderful!
Thank you! The variety was most pleasing!
We don’t have ramps in the UK, but they sound a little like a cross between spring onions and wild garlic. Can I substitute these, do you think?
I’m pretty sure what you call wild garlic is what we call ramps Kevin. Strongly flavored of garlic, and they grow in a lovely carpet on the woodland floor this time of year.
Thanks, that may be so. There is a Cornish cheese called Yarg, which is wrapped in leaves from wild garlic plants, and it infuses the cheese beautifully. Definitely an underused food source.
Oh, that sounds really delicious!!!!
What a pretty meal. I love ramp pesto!! Hey, I didn’t know you could cook radishes. Maybe I should have but hmmm…
Thank you!
I live cooked radishes; I often tuck them in soups and stir-fries, and the tops are edible too.
Delicious looking dish but an even better backstory. Nice to have those memories.
Thank you Judy! Food triggers lots of memories.
In Europe we have a plant similar to ramps. We use it to make pesto and we add the leaves to a potato mash. Also very nice when combined with asparagus and morels!
Oh yes! I have some left, I might just make a mash tonight!
A feast is right! Such a beautiful post that combines memory with spring delights. And so true about the fickle spring weather in New England. But such a lovely time of year.
Thanks Laurie. Even with the snow flakes, this has always been my favorite time of year!
It’s a beautiful time of year.
My cherry trees are all blooming and the willows are leafing out that beautiful spring green.
Great post and thanks for the tip on how to keep that bright green color.
Thanks Bernie! A quick little blanch will set the color in most green things, and this is a vibrant green!
I love your flavors and textures. They add up to a yummy culinary artistry. ❤️
Thank you my friend! It’s fun to put all these things together.
De-lighted! Yummy foods are an outpouring of love.❤️☕️☕️
🍜☕️💕
Pesto enhances any dish, this must be so flavorful!
Thanks Jan! It was really delicious.
What a beautiful May Day feast! The ramp pesto sounds amazing~
Jenna
Thank you Jenna! It was a great way to celebrate May Day!
Your dishes look as beautiful as they must be delicious, Dorothy. I’ve heard of fiddleheads on Food Network but haven’t ever had them.
I don’t live anywhere that fiddlehead ferns grow but sometimes you can find them at the Farmers Markets or Whole Foods.
Happy hunting!
They are a lot like asparagus in texture and flavor.
I love the May baskets! The little cones of flowers are so appealing–what a sweet neighborly gesture.
It was lots of fun! We left one on the doorstep of the guys who wind the clock!
You are a true inspiration. I have never had fiddleheads or ramps.
Your stories of sweet memories were the price of admission. And the May Day Baskets were darling!
Thank you, Dorothy!
Thanks Nancy! Food and memories are so intertwined! Maybe that’s one reason I love cooking.
Oh how lovely. I don’t know if I’ll ever get my hand on ramps, but at least I can admire yours!
Thanks Mimi! I was delighted to find a new young forager friend – much easier on my knees!
Yum! I swear that I could smell the tantilizing aroma right through my screen!
I think you probably can, strong aromas!
I’ve never made pesto, but I could try. Our local Farmers’ Market starts next week, so I’ll look for the proper ingredients.
Happy hunting at the farmers market! Once you make your own pesto, there’s no turning back. Infinite possibilities.
These are wonderful ‘flavors of spring’ and so scrumptious! And I totally agree with you – “There’s always something just waiting to start off the season with style!”
Thank you and happy hunting, whatever the season, there are surprises.
You are so fortunate to be able to get all those fresh ingredients Dorothy! What a fabulous looking meal. That was such a sweet gesture leaving the May baskets for your neighbors! I bet they looked forward to May 1st every year.
Did you have a May Day tradition when you were a kid?
No we never celebrated May Day.
When I read about ramps and fiddleheads, I think how fun it would be to try them.
They are a seasonal delight for sure!
We don’t have them here in the South.
Ah, but you have your own delights!
Your meal sounds great. Try as I may, I could never find any ramps growing on our farm in New Hampshire.
Thank you Karen! They like a deciduous forest, a south facing slope before the leaves emerge is your best bet. Happy hunting!
What a fun read this was and I loved hearing about your aunt and uncle and their treasure hunting
Thank you Molly! They are such nice memories, and using the local wild foods always brings me back.
Such a lovely dish, bursting with spring flavors!
Your pesto with pistachios sounds amazing, and so perfect with the trout. I used ramps back when I cooked in Vermont, and really liked them. Alas, they are not available here. I’ll try to improvise with some other greens. 🙂
The ramps are at high season right now, and fiddleheads are coming on strong, finally! Luckily, there are lots of substitutions, as long as there’s a lot of garlic present!
Yummy is the word!😋
Thanks! It was a feast indeed!
What a delicious-looking springtime platter! Hope you are enjoying the month of May! 🙂
This is my favorite time of year Nancy, so thank you! I am in my element right now.