ramp and sausage risotto

Now this is the way to start off the CSA season: ramp and sausage risotto! I found this idea through A Good Appetite on their page that lists the menu for the week. It seems this recipe is floating around the web. One of the things I like about looking for recipes on the web is reading the comments at the end. I like hearing about how others change or substitute ingredients for each recipe. Which is how I operate. Rarely do I have all the necessary ingredients and so I'm constantly changing it to accommodate what I have in my pantry. For this recipe, I did not have any vermouth and immediately thought to add the leftover white wine I had sitting in my fridge. Saw a comment that did this and that gave me confidence as I was cooking.

Also, I have to say that I love recipes that use the whole plant. This ramp and sausage recipe called for the ramp bulbs, stems and leaves. The leaves are sliced thin and added at the end of the recipe. I cut them and left them sitting on the kitchen counter. I had to go into the cupboard space beneath the bowl for a few things and after a while I started thinking perhaps something had died in my cupboard - the smell was so strong. I got worried. Then, I realized the smell was the ramp leaves. Nonetheless, the leaves added another layer of flavor and made the whole meal look like fresh spring!

Oh, my goodness, it was so incredibly wonderful. I took some pictures while I was cooking, but woke this morning with the realization that I did not have the memory card in the camera, so no pictures. They wouldn't have captured the yumminess of this recipe anyway!

It's really fun to think about the fact that while these ramps are available in the woods - in abundance - they won't be there very long. Now I'm all fired up about foraging for my own.

Cooking risotto in this household is fun. There are a lot of "yes, chef!" thrown about. I admit that I am a fan of "Hell's Kitchen" and risotto is always on their menu. I'd never tried a risotto before watching this television show. It was surprisingly easy to prepare.

I bought the sausage at Ready Meats. I bought the regular which seemed spicy enough. I steamed up some broccoli (not from CSA) and served it on top of the risotto. I should have gotten from french bread to prepare some garlic bread, but I forgot, so some biscuits went into the oven.

Now I have spinach, rhubarb and parsnips left until Thursday. I gave all the sorrel to my mother, but plan to keep the next batch for myself. I'm going to try that sorrel dal recipe. Also, I looked at the "best guess" list for this week's delivery and read that we are getting asparagus and salad mix! I love the salad mix! It has flowers in it! So pretty and convenient! Yum!

sorrel, chives and a rainbow

This evening, just before sunset we had a rainbow! And then later I got the CSA newsletter through email! It's been a great end to the day. The box is going to include everything that was on the best guess list: sweet overwintered parsnips, red sunchokes, ramps, sorrel, overwintered spinach, rhubarb, burdock, chives, black radish, willow. This tip on the newsletter is really helpful:

Use first: Ramps, sorrel, chives,
spinach. The other items store
very well in the crisper drawer,
but use within a week or two for
best taste.

I've got to plan ahead because we are going to the WI trailer this weekend. I think I'll just take the burdock and the sunchokes because I can fry these easily. And I don't mind frying when I'm cooking outside.

The Big D had a business trip out to NYC last month. He returned with over two dozen bagels. I cut each one in half and then froze the whole lot. I gotta remember to make a chive cream cheese for the morning bagels. So the chives have to be split because I also want to add some to sour cream. Here's a recipe for the cream cheese:

1 block soft cream cheese
chopped chives
1 tsp garlic powder

I'm determined to enjoy the sorrel more this year. I want to try some recipes that bring out the distinctive tangy, lemon taste. It seems the best way to do that is to make some sort of drink with it. I found a Jamaican sorrel drink recipe. Hmm? Am I brave?

I have some other ideas:
Sorrel dal
Chicken with Sorrel sauce
Vegetarian sorrel tart
Sorrel Risotto
Penne with mushrooms and fresh sorrel

I am pleased with meal possibilities for next week. Thursdays seem like a good delivery date for me. Especially since we seem to spend most weekends at the trailer. This gives me time to (loosely) plan some meals. Although I do have a tiny, compact little kitchen in the trailer, it's always nice to try to cook out on the open fire. Or fry something outdoors with a dual propane stove top. If I am going to fry something I'd rather do it outside so the smell of the oil doesn't linger in all the fabrics. I'll try making some burdock chips and sunchoke fries.

That rainbow this evening had such distinct colors. It was vibrant and beautiful and one end of the arc seemed to be positioned right over the house where I pick up my CSA box. Just one more night until I get my pot of organic gold.

Foraging: Ramps

I'm curious about foraging and curious about what can be foraged in this region. I'm curious about what can be gathered and eaten. The CSA pushed me forward in this inquiry. In the first box of each season there is always a bunch of ramps. They have a distinctive scarlet color to the stems. After eating the CSA harvest, I started seeing ramps in the woodlands of Wisconsin. They are first bright shades of green in the spring, rising as they do from the blanket of decaying autumn leaves.





However, getting to them can be an unnerving experience. While there are ramps growing everywhere, there are also lots of wood ticks. So, after spending some time digging up ramps, I spend time searching for wood ticks on my body.




Ramps have a onion and garlic qualities. They are also referred to as wild baby leeks. I use them in stir frys and for salad dressings. I picked up this recipe from my local coop: Eastside Coop in Northeast Minneapolis.

Ramp Dressing:
1/3 c. walnut oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
5 ramps (white parts only)
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in blender.

The salad dressing is perfect over spinach, another item available early in the CSA season. The dressing is yummy, but makes me a little gassy. They have quite a strong garlic smell so if I store them in the refrigerator, the smell intensifies.

I just read that the appearance of ramps is an indicator for morel hunters. Yum. That sounds great to me. Ramps and morel mushrooms sauteed together! I just can't wait for this season!