Please welcome Hank as he shares one of his favorite things to make with wild foraged ramps, ramp and parsley pesto. Outstanding with pasta, though I ate half of this straight with a spoon. So good. ~Elise
Ramps arrive in the East Coast well before good basil can be found, so I’ve adapted a classic cool-weather pesto from Liguria, in Northern Italy, that uses walnuts and parsley instead of basil and pine nuts.
Only in this case I am substituting the garlic in that pesto for fresh ramps, which are a kind of wild onion that has a pronounced garlic flavor.
I blanch the greens first to keep them vivid; if you don’t do this, your pesto will oxidize and turn brown in a few hours unless you cover it in olive oil.
If you can’t find ramps, use green garlic. Both are available at farmer’s markets in spring, although ramps are tough to locate west of Minnesota.
Ramp and Parsley Pesto Recipe
Serve this pesto like you would any other: With pasta or in risotto, on crusty bread or as a dollop in soup.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese (you could also use pecorino)
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 1 small bunch ramps or thin green garlic
- Pinch of salt
Read More: Ramp and Parsley Pesto
