Ramps & Fiddlehead Ferns!...

More greenmarket offerings--this time from Union Square market.

This is a little behind, but I'm always behind! After overloading on pickled ramps at various venues, I was uber-stoked to cook my own. After much google-age, settled on sauteeing--totally forgot to cook it with bacon tho! Also had Shitake from the greenmarket, and since I was running out of time I threw it all together.

Probably for the best hat I didn't throw bacon in there w/ the shitake mushrooms, it would've been too much of a melange of flavors and directions. I could see though how it'd be tasty given how mild the actual ramp flavor is! SOOOO taken back by that! Wonderful pungent smell once the leaves were cut--hell, it smelled just sitting in the bag! Best. smell. EVAAARRRRR (yes, with an A!)

Fiddlehead ferns > ramps in my book--a bit pricey too, but they are like a really well-encased asparagus. It has that same texture but a little more crunch. They turn super bright green when cooked and coil up nice and tight. Definitely more fun to play with--but then again my palate might've been worn out on ramps to produce such a bias and thus it fell out of my favor :)

The idea of such a hodge podge of in-season veggies in pan isn't that weird--I think ramps and fiddlehead ferns were on the menu at Spiaggia in the same dish as morels and more craziness too! Next season it'll be fiddlehead ferns as the masthead of spring for me...

I'm kinda glad ramp season is so short--def prefer them pickled since they add more flavor and depth to the little bulbs. Next season mehbeh I"ll just try the diff applications like the pickled ramps on hotdogs @ shake shack...and ramps pizza @ Otto!

I actually made a version of spaghetti carbonara with ramps too--definitely added another texture (like with the asparagus/snow peas) that went well with the dish. Again, mild flavor but served the dish well since the carbonara is pretty rich to begin with. Kind of cut thru the 'heaviness' of the sauce!

ALSO--ramps are actually....SWEET! Mildly sweet, but still sweet! The leaves very much have a spring-onion-y texture to it when cooked, and just as sweet as wilted/sauteed spring onion bits. That's all. yay greenmarkets!! :)