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Obituaries

In Season: Asparagus, Ramps and Rhubarb

Try these local seasonal ingredients in recipes such as Gemelli Pasta with Ramps, Asparagus and Wild Mushrooms, Rhubarb Chutney, and Strawberry-Rhubarb Clafouti.

Margaret Atwood once wrote, "In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." 

I can't say I smell like dirt, but there certainly was an aroma of earthiness in my kitchen this past weekend as I cleaned the spring treasures I found at the  in South Salem—rhubarb, asparagus, wild mushrooms, and ramps—all with a bit of soil still clinging to them.

Ramps

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Ramps, or wild leeks, are foraged locally in wooded areas. If foraging for them is not your thing, you might find them popping up on many restaurant menus this spring. Or procure them at your local farmer's market as I did.  

Resembling a small scallion with green leaves, ramps taste of both leek and garlic. Though tasty, they tend to be fairly aggressive in flavor, so beware of using too much in a dish. They pair well with potatoes, asparagus, greens, and mushrooms.

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Asparagus

Asparagus is more well-known as a spring vegetable than the ramp. It is easily recognized even in the wild.

Often people question what size is more desirable, with "pencil-thin" often touted as the prized variety. But in reality, one type is not necessarily better than the other except for how one plans to cook and serve it.

For example, if you are making soup, you might consider a thick asparagus. Chopped asparagus would be better-suited for a pasta dish. And asparagus with hollandaise would fare well with either pencil-thin or thin stalks. 

Ramps, asparagus and mushrooms complement each other very well, so I combined the three flavors in one pasta dish.  A touch of cream and the addition of tomatoes created a rich and hearty meatless dish. My kids balked when I told them the ingredients, yet after one bite they dug in with more enthusiasm. Both cleaned their plates.

Creamy Gemelli Pasta with, Asparagus, Ramps, and Wild Mushrooms

1 box dried pasta of your choice – I used gemelli; fusilli would be similar

1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ shallot, minced

4-5 ramp bulbs (the white part) sliced thin

leaves from 4 ramps -  julienned, about 1/3 cup

1 ½ cups sliced wild mushrooms (your choice)

2 cups 1 inch diced medium sized asparagus

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

½ cup heavy cream

1 cup reserved pasta water

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

4-5 basil leaves, julienned

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ - 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, as preferred 

Fill large pot with water and 1-2 tablespoons kosher or sea salt.  Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Lower to a simmer once it boils until you are completely ready to cook the sauce.  Then add the pasta and cook to al dente, around 12 minutes.  Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, drain but do not rinse the pasta.  If you are not ready to add the pasta to the sauce, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and stir into the pasta to prevent sticking.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large deep sauté pan.  Add the shallot, garlic and ramp bulbs.  Stir and cook 2-3 minutes until translucent.  Add the mushrooms, stir and sauté 1 minute.  Add the asparagus, stir and cook 2 minutes.  Add the tomato, stir and cook 2-3 minutes.  Turn the heat up to high and add the chicken stock.  Cook 3 minutes until it reduces by almost half. 

Stir in the cream.  Turn the heat down to medium after 1 minute, then turn down to low after another 3 minutes, until the sauce is thick and bubbly.  Add ½ cup of the reserved pasta water, or more if needed to make a thick, creamy sauce.  Stir in the basil, ramp leaves, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Add the pasta and combine.  Taste and reseason if necessary.  Place in serving bowl and grate extra parmesan cheese over the top. Serve immediately or keep warm until serving. 

Rhubarb

Rhubarb was always a return player to my mother's vegetable garden each year.  I remember rhubarb pie, crisp and preserves being part of her seasonal repertoire. I also remember being too scared to taste-test the raw fruit straight from the garden due to the toxic leaves—make sure you cut these off before cooking!

This fruit, or vegetable as some refer to it, resembles a celery stalk which is reddish-pink in color. It tends to taste a bit tart, so sugar or some type of sweetness is often a necessary collaborator in any rhubarb dish.

I created two rhubarb recipes.  One, a chutney which is excellent paired with grilled or roasted meats.  I served mine with a slow-roasted pork shoulder.  It would also be quite tasty served with cheeses—I think it would be delicious matched with a goat cheese on a toasted crotini for an appetizer.  

The second recipe is a for a clafouti, a French dessert normally baked with cherries.  The easy-to-prepare clafouti has a pancake-like batter and puffs up while baking. Instead of cherries, however, I made mine with roasted strawberries and rhubarb—a match made in heaven.

Rhubarb Chutney

makes 2 cups

2 cups rhubarb, medium diced (about 3-4 stalks)

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 medium red onion, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2-3 juice or navel oranges)

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

3 roasted red peppers (jarred is fine), medium diced

½ cup dried cherries

1-2 whole cloves

pinch sea salt & freshly ground pepper

pinch crushed red pepper, or ½ teaspoon dried Aleppo pepper (available at specialty spice stores)

Heat a medium sized sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, swirl around the pan to cover. Add the sliced onion and ginger and cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to very lightly brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the rhubarb, cherries and red pepper and cook 3 more minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Turn up the heat to high. Add the balsamic vinegar and allow to reduce by half. 

Add the orange juice, brown sugar, cloves and crushed pepper.  Turn the heat back to medium.  Allow to cook and thicken until the chutney is thick and chunky and deep in color, about 5 minutes. 

Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, if needed.  Remove the whole cloves if you can find them. Serve with grilled or roasted meats or with cheeses. 

Strawberry-Rhubarb Clafouti with Orange-Mascarpone Whipped Cream

1 ½ cups strawberries, hulled and sliced in two if large

1 ½ cups rhubarb, sliced into 1 inch pieces

2/3 cup sugar, split into two

6 large eggs

½ cup cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon table salt

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Orange-Mascarpone Whipped Cream (recipe below) OR vanilla ice cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter or grease the sides of a 10 inch pie or cake pan. In a mixing bowl, toss the strawberries and rhubarb with 1/3 cup of sugar. Place the fruit in the cake pan and cook 10 minutes until soft to the touch. Drain off any juices in the pan, but reserve the juices to pour over the cake when serving.

 In a blender or food processor, mix the eggs, cream, vanilla, flour, and salt together until just well-blended – do not overmix. Pour the egg mixture over the fruit.  Bake for 30 minutes until the batter is puffed and lightly golden. Let it cool – it will shrink as it cools.  You can dust with confectioners sugar if desired.  Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with the whipped cream or ice cream and the reserved juices. 

Orange-Mascarpone Whipped Cream

1 cup mascarpone cheese

1 cup heavy cream

2 ½ tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (a microplane grater is best for this!)

Place the cheese, cream, and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer.  Whip until stiff.  Slowly mix in the orange zest. Serve with the clafouti.

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