I know it’s the very tail end of ramp season, and most of you have moved on to stone fruits and strawberries, but I didn’t want to let another year slip by without posting this recipe for ramp carbonara. It’s nothing revolutionary, just a simple spaghetti carbonara dressed up for spring. Spaghetti carbonara is one of my favorite meals, rich with eggs and cheese. I probably make it more often than I should, given how indulgent it is, but I love it.

I’ve never seen a ramp growing. They have sort of a woodsy mystique about them, one of the first spring edibles to hit the markets, gathered in wild forests some unknown distance away. I picture them growing in quiet, verdant groves, their dark green leaves waving gently in filtered forest light. Perhaps they’ll be the next on the list of foolhardy things we are trying to grow in our little urban backyard. Although, like asparagus, they need several years to establish themselves. I’m not sure we have the patience.

I loved the idea of the long, thin ramp leaves winding through the pasta like noodles, so the first time I tried this, I left the ramp leaves whole. While it was beautiful to look at, it left me chewing (and chewing and chewing) big mouthfuls of ramp, which wasn’t particularly pleasant. So this time around, I treated the ramps with a bit more finesse. I sliced the leaves into thin strips and just barely cooked them, keeping their texture crisp. It worked out much better.

This came out lovely. While spaghetti covered in cheese is always good, there’s a big difference between a good carbonara and a great carbonara. This one was great. I thickened the sauce with a little bit of mascarpone so it was truly creamy. Instead of parmesan alone, I used a mix of parmesan and pecorino. Of course the ramps, swirled into the noodles, made it garlicky and a little special. And the finishing touch – a shower of meyer lemon zest – brought it all together.

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More Ramp recipes…

Ramp, Cheddar, and Bacon Buttermilk Biscuits

Polenta Pizza with Wild Mushrooms and Ramp Pesto

Quinoa, Cauliflower, and Ramp Cakes

Ramp Carbonara

Spaghetti carbonara with a spring twist – whole ramps, pecorino cheese, and meyer lemon zest.

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Yield: 3-4

Ingredients

• 8 medium-sized ramps
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 oz. pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch dice
• 2 eggs
• 2 oz. grated pecorino cheese (about 3/4 cup, packed)
• 2 oz. grated parmesan cheese (about 3/4 cup, packed)
• 1/4 cup mascarpone
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• zest from 1 Meyer lemon
• 1/2 lb. spaghetti

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Prepare the ramps by washing thoroughly to rinse away any dirt, and gently patting the leaves dry. Separate the round white bulbs from the leaves. Trim any stringy white roots from the bulb and discard the roots, then finely dice the ramp bulb. Slice the ramp leaves into very thin strips, then set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the diced pancetta and saute until it is crispy and brown all over, which should take about 6-8 minutes. After 3-4 minutes, add the diced ramp bulb to the pan. Keep a close eye on the pancetta and stir frequently – pancetta takes a while to start browning but can go to under-cooked to burned in a very short period of time.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pecorino cheese, parmesan cheese, and mascarpone until smooth. Stir in the black pepper, Meyer lemon zest, and the cooked pancetta. Set aside.
5. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to package directions, until just al dente. Drain, leaving just a few tablespoons of the cooking water in the bottom of the pot with the pasta. Add the hot pasta and reserved cooking water to the egg mixture and quickly toss with tongs to create a creamy sauce from the eggs and cheese. Do this immediately after adding the pasta to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Add the ramp leaves to the pasta and toss a few times just to wilt the leaves. Serve immediately.

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Four years ago, we spent two weeks in Italy in the beginning of May. It was our first “adult” vacation, and we ate and drank our way through Rome, Florence, and the Maremma. Rome is a city that is easy to fall in love with, especially in May. Jasmine tumbles over seemingly every stone wall, its fragrance completely filling the city. The weather is sunny and dry but not too hot, perfect for sundresses and gelato and walking along the river. Nights are cool and you can eat al fresco, sipping on chilled Pinot Grigio and tucking into plates of cacio e pepe. While parts of Rome are perpetually jammed with tourists, if you move just a little outside the tourist track you’ll begin to feel the heartbeat of a thriving, modern city.

While we were there, we visited a farmer’s market and loaded up on pecorino cheese, the first tiny strawberries of the season, truffled sausage, and fava beans. We brought our bounty to the Pincio gardens, where we picnicked amid throngs of people watching the sunset over the Piazza del Popolo. The simplicity and freshness and ambiance of that meal has stuck with me more than any almost any other meal in Italy.

Eating fresh fava beans with chunks of pecorino cheese is a Roman tradition with a long history. In Rome, the custom is to eat them just as we did – a freshly shucked bean, a slice of pecorino, and perhaps a chunk of crusty bread. It’s a nearly perfect pairing, perhaps improved only by a glass of stony Italian white wine.

Recipe #2 in fava bean week takes it’s inspiration from that pairing. It’s a simple variation on everyone’s favorite breakfast – avocado toast. I’ve heard some report that this trend is on its way out, but I refuse to believe this. It’s the perfect breakfast, how could it be a fad? Maybe that’s just my millennial showing. I do have a pair of salmon (ahem, millennial) pink pants, after all. The addition of fava beans and pecorino to avocado toast is not a gratuitous change. The creamy and subtle sweetness of the avocado mellows the sharpness of the fava beans and the cheese, while the slight crunch of the beans adds some texture to your toast. I mash the fava beans with a hint of meyer lemon zest and a little olive oil, pressing them just enough so that they won’t fall off the bread.

More Fava Bean Recipes…

Fava Bean Soup with Mascarpone, Mint, and Pancetta

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Avocado Toast with Fava Beans and Pecorino

Serves 1.

• 1 slice of Italian or French bread, toasted
• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 1/3 cup of fresh fava beans, shucked and peeled
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 TBS of pecorino cheese shavings
• zest of 1/2 a  small Meyer lemon
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Slice or slightly mash the avocado and spread on top of the toasted bread. In a small bowl, mix together the fava beans, olive oil, pecorino cheese and Meyer lemon zest. Gently smash the fava beans with the back of a fork, just enough to break up the beans. Spread the fava beans on top of the avocado toast, pressing gently to keep the beans from falling off the toast. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and eat!

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I first learned to make crepes in high school. During one French class our professor took us to his house for a simple French cooking lesson. It was a boarding school and most of the professors lived on campus, so this wasn’t particularly unusual. He taught us the ratio – 1:2:1 milk, eggs, flour – and pan-fried dozens of crepes. Like most of my classes in high school, I spent a good portion of it flirting, an activity that was only enhanced by speaking French and eating crepes. French – the language of ballet, patisserie, and love.

I’ve all but forgotten French, but I do remember how to make crepes. They are such a wonderful dessert. At their simplest, they require only 4 ingredients – milk, eggs, flour, and a pat of butter for the frying pan. From there, you can dress them up in seemingly infinite ways. You can stuff them with fruit and cream, stack them in layers with salted caramel to make a crepe cake, or flambée them with a bit of rum. You can make the batter chocolate-flavored or go the savory route and fill your crepes with ham and cheese. They are simple, economical, and delicious.

These Strawberry and Meyer Lemon Crepes are on the fancier end of the crepe spectrum.  The crepe batter itself has a splash of brandy, vanilla, sugar, and melted butter added to the base. After cooking, you spread each crepe with two different strawberry-based fillings. The first is a strawberry-mascarpone cream (it’s the loveliest shade of pink!) and the second is a jammy sauce made from strawberries, meyer lemon, and a splash of vodka. Folded and garnished with fresh strawberries and powdered sugar they make a spring dessert that’s both elegant and simple.

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 Strawberry and Meyer Lemon Filled Crepes

Adapted from Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey. Serves 6.

• 1 lb. fresh strawberries, stems removed and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1/3 cup plus 2 TBS granulated sugar
• 8 oz. mascarpone cheese
• 2 TBS butter, room temperature
• zest and juice of 1 meyer lemon
• 1 TBS vodka
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3 TBS butter, melted (plus a bit more for coating the pan)
• 2 TBS brandy
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup all purpose flour

1. Toss the diced strawberries with the 1/3 cup of sugar in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let macerate for at lest one hour, or overnight in the fridge.
2. After macerating, spoon half of the strawberries out of the bowl and into a food processor. Puree until smooth. Add the mascarpone cheese and process again until smooth. Cover strawberry-mascarpone cream and chill until ready to use.
3. Place 2 TBS of the butter in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add the remaining strawberries, the strawberry syrup that has collected in the bowl, the meyer lemon zest and meyer lemon juice to the pan and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the strawberries are very soft and the sauce has become thick and syrupy. This should take about 10 minutes. At this stage, remove from the heat and stir in the vodka. Set aside.
4. To make the crepe batter, whisk the eggs, whole milk, melted butter, brandy, vanilla extract, and water together in a large bowl. Whisk thoroughly until frothy. Add the flour and whisk until you have a thin and smooth batter. The batter should run freely when lifted from the bowl – the consistency should be that of heavy cream. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for one hour.
5. To assemble the crepes, melt a bit of butter in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Swirl to coat the pan with butter. Using a measuring cup, add 1/3 cup of batter to the center of the pan. Immediately lift the pan from the heat and swirl so that the batter spreads out thinly and evenly to the edges of the pan. Set down over the hat. Cook for about 60-90 seconds per side, or until the edges of the crepe are lacy and there are spots of golden brown on the otherwise pale crepe. Once each crepe is cooked, lay it out flat on a cutting board. To fill the crepes, spread a large spoonful of the strawberry-mascarpone cream over one side of each crepe, then spread a little of the strawberry-lemon sauce on top. Fold into quarters and place on a plate. Drizzle with more strawberry sauce and serve.

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My department has recently moved to work-from-home Fridays. I’m still figuring out how to be as productive from my apartment, which isn’t really set up as a workspace (no desk, no chairs with backs, no computer monitor), as I am at work, but in general it’s a nice perk. My lunch break  in particular is a whole new experience – I can get out for a quick run, shower, and make myself a homemade lunch all in the space of an hour or so. It completely re-energizes my day. Although it can be tempting to dig into leftover rigatoni bolognese or penne alla vodka at my lunch break, I’ve been trying to come up with creative salads instead. I’ve been experimenting with this Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad over the past few Friday lunch breaks, and I think I’ve finally figured out how I like it best.

The first trick to this salad is that the brussels sprouts should be cooked over high heat so that they’re charred in places but still retain some color and crunch, and not be cooked down to a point of total limpness. A little bit of preserved lemon chopped up and stirred into the sprouts as they cook does wonders to brighten up the overall flavor. For heartiness, I’ve tried both chicken and sauteed shiitake mushrooms, and the mushrooms are the much better choice – especially thickly sliced and sauteed until golden brown in butter. Roasted chickpeas coated in smoked paprika add crunch and a bit of depth, a protein-rich alternative to croutons. Then of course you have the dressing, which should be homemade and extra tangy – unless of course you’re forgoing dressing in favor of an olive-oil fried egg, yolk broken and stirred into the warm salad. The final touch is a few shards of pecorino cheese. These days it’s my perfect salad, and I imagine I’ll continue enjoying it until spring is really upon us and I can move onto lighter, brighter foods. Until then, it makes eating my vegetables a pleasure.

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Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad

Serves 2.

• 1 1/2 c. cooked chickpeas
• 4 TBS olive oil, divided
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• sea salt
• pepper
• 20 – 30 brussels sprouts
• 1 wedge of preserved meyer lemon, finely chopped
• 1/2 TBS butter
• 10-15 large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thickly sliced
• pecorino cheese
• homemade Caesar dressing

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss the chickpeas with 2 TBS of the olive oil, the smoked paprika, and sea salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until crispy, about 20 minutes. Set aside
2. Trim the ends and the outer leaves from the brussels sprouts and discard. Thinly slice the brussels sprouts. Heat the remaining 2 TBS of olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan, then add the brussels sprouts and stir to coat with the oil. Add the preserved lemon to the pan, and season the sprouts with salt and pepper. Saute the brussels sprouts, stirring frequently, until bright green and charred in places, but still slightly crunchy, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the pan into a large bowl.
3. Melt the butter in the same frying pan you used to cook the brussels sprouts, over medium heat. Add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden brown on both sides, about 8-10 minutes. Add to the bowl with the brussels sprouts and toss to mix.
4. Serve the salad warm, tossed with shaved pecorino cheese, the roasted chickpeas, and homemade Caesar dressing.

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I’m excited to announce that for the next few months, I’ll be participating in the Captain’s Table Challenge that Captain Morgan is running this holiday season. Along with 14 other food bloggers, I’ll be creating six recipes – three cocktails and three sweet or savory dishes – using Captain Morgan. The first official recipes will be coming at you later this week, just in time for Thanksgiving, and then later on there will be some Christmas treats, and something snacky and craveable for the Superbowl. Hugh Acheson, of Georgian restaurant and F&W Best New Chef fame, will be judging the challenge, picking a winner for each holiday, and an overall winner at the end of the program. I’m looking forward to getting creative with rum, and also taste-testing everything –  because a little extra rum in the cold winter months never hurt anyone.

Besides free rum for me and a lot of rum-based recipes for you, there’s another great aspect to this program – every time the #CaptainsTable hashtag is used on social media this season, Captain Morgan will donate $1 to Why Hunger. So break out your rum, get cooking/mixing, and share your recipes and entertaining tips using the hashtag, because drinking is even better when you’re drinking for a cause.

Since I know you guys mostly come here for the food, I didn’t want to leave you hanging with no recipe today, so I have a bit of a bonus recipe for you. Trevor and I were both feeling a little rundown this weekend, although we did manage to put in a respectable showing on the dance floor at our coworkers’ wedding Saturday night. Come Sunday, all I wanted to do was lie on the couch and avoid going out into the “feels like 4°F” weather.  While I was laying there, bundled up and half-asleep at 4 in the afternoon, Trevor sat down next to me with a steaming cup of sweet, herbal rum. He’d been toying with the idea of a sage-based rum cocktail all weekend, and I’d been kind of a hard sell, but one sip of the drink changed my mind. Hot, soothing, sweet from the honey and rum, but balanced by the meyer lemon and sage, it really did make me feel better. This is probably completely a placebo effect, but my mom was always a proponent of hot toddies (just a teeny splash of whiskey) when we were sick, and who am I to argue with my mother’s wisdom? Side note: is Trevor not the best boyfriend of all time? I’m pretty sure he is.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Captain Morgan, who provided me with product samples and monetary compensation in exchange for my participation in this program. All opinions are honest and my own, as always.

Meyer Lemon and Sage Hot Toddy

Serves 1.

• 1 TBS honey
• 1/2 c. water
• 4 sage leaves, washed
• 1 small meyer lemon
• 1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum

1. Add the honey, water, and sage leaves to a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat until sage is fragrant and honey is dissolved, about 4-5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the syrup from foaming up, and do not let it come above a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat, remove and discard the sage leaves, and pour the syrup into a pre-warmed glass.
2. Cut the lemon in half, and squeeze 1-2 tsp of juice into the glass. Cut a slice of the remaining lemon for garnish. Add the rum and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

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