Yes, I did get to try some yummy food... like potato, bacon and ramp pierogi's from The Pierogi Lady, ramp focaccia bread from Sweet Mary's Bakery, and pumpkin rosemary ramp street pizza from Stray Dog Carts.
And I did get to buy some! They were selling for $12.00 a pound, which I guess is not a bad price although it does seem kind of steep to me. I got half a pound and then was faced with the decision what to use them in. I decided to make a ramp Israeli couscous. I do love my Israeli couscous.
I started out by washing the ramps thoroughly. Like their cousin, the leek, they do get a lot of dirt in them and need to be cleaned pretty carefully and meticulously.
Aren't they perty? So fragrant, so fresh and so yummy! The whites and the greens are both edible so after cleaning them, I chopped and then put them in a saute pan with some olive oil and salt/pepper.
The aroma while the ramps are cooking is absolute heaven! It's a little bit like garlic, a little bit like leek and oh so heavenly. I didn't cook them very long, just enough to soften them slightly. And while they were cooking, I made the couscous. Just follow the package, easy peasy. Except I cook the couscous in chicken broth instead of water, for more flavor.
Once they are both done, combine and saute together for a few minutes just to meld the flavor of the ramps into the couscous.
And serve. Delish! Oh wait, that was kind of Rachael Ray of me wasn't it? Yumm-o! Eh, that was too. Well back to my own tag line it is... Buon Cibo mia Amici
