Wild Rampant

Appalachia Ramps

My husband came home one day from work and told me about a co-worker who goes harvesting for wild ramps in the mountains of West Virginia every spring. Later on, his co-worker brought us a bundle of freshly harvested ramps. I sautéed them with oil, garlic, salt and pepper. We have been hooked on them ever since. What are ramps, you ask? The flavor is a blend between onion and garlic, a milder version. It has a white bulb like an onion, but the purple stem and elongated green leaves reminds me of the ginger plant. Most of its population is grown in Appalachia, from West Virginia to the Carolinas. West Virginia ramp festivals are well known in early spring.

Like any other food you may have encountered, different processes produce different outcomes of flavor. Most recipes treat ramps like leeks, cooking it with potato and egg. I prefer mine in several ways:

Grilled with Romesco Sauce

One way is to treat it similarly to a Spanish onion. The ramps are grilled on medium high heat for a few minutes and served with Romesco sauce (a combination of almond, paprika, sherry vinegar and olive oil), on a piece of bread. When ramps are grilled, they are cooked briefly to bring out the sugar content, coupling with the smokiness of the charred leaves. Romesco sauce contrasts the ramps flavor with nutty, tangy flavor.

Saute with Curried Spotted Trout

The second way is to do a Surf and turf, using Ramps with North Carolina coast spotted trout. The fish is sliced into steak, about 1/2" thick each and deep fried until crisp. I sautéed the ramps with curry powder, fish sauce and oyster sauce for about 5 minutes. And then I added the fish at the end to soak up the sauce and the flavor of ramps. It was scrumptious with a plate of jasmine rice.

Pickled with Thai Chili

The third way is to pickle the ramps. I must admit that this is my first jar of pickled ramps. I added a few Thai chilies to add some spiciness in the jar. Pickled garlic in fried eggs was one of my morning comforts growing up. Let us see how the flavor of pickled ramps compare to my old stand by.

Onion, garlic, leek...they are what they are. But ramps have their own flavor, similar but not the same. So, give ramps its own profile and the credit it deserves. Better yet, give it a try. It is grown in your backyard. We just need a better chef who can prepare it well, other than the usual egg and potato.

Cheers!
Teera