Cooking With This Week's Box
Wild Ramps: Ramp Pesto (See Below); Quiche with Ramps, Mushrooms & Brie; Nettle & Mushroom Pizza with Ramp Cream
It’s time to get into the rhythm of “cooking out of the
box!” After a long winter, it feels good
to have fresh greens and new vegetables coming in from the field. Lets dive in with this week’s box contents. With Mother’s Day coming up this weekend, I
think we should treat our Moms (or yourself if you are the Mom) to a special
Mother’s Day Brunch. This Quiche with Ramps, Mushrooms & Brie served with Alice Water’s Warm Spinach Salad will make a lovely meal. For a little
added bonus, make a batch of these Parsnip, Lemon & Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Drizzle.
We have two bunches of ramps this week, so even after
making the quiche, there should still be enough to make a batch of Ramp Pesto
(see below). This is great to have in
the refrigerator to make a quick pasta dinner.
Just boil some fettuccine and toss it with a few spoonfuls of ramp
pesto. Done! Of course we could also use that second bunch
to make this absolutely delicious Nettle & Mushroom Pizza with Ramp Cream! This is one of my favorite spring recipes
that was actually prompted by several members.
If you don’t use your nettles to make this pizza, you could always try
this week’s featured vegetable for Nettle Chips (See Below). This is a great way to eat your greens and these
make a great afternoon or weekend snack when you just need something crispy and
salty, but very simple. If you’re really
short on time this week, the easiest thing of all to make with nettles is Easy & Tasty Nettle Tea. In the midst of a busy week this might be a
good way to support your body and keep you well.
The nights are still a little chilly which makes me want
to eat soup, such as this Green Garlic Soup. This recipe makes 8-10 servings and calls for
more green garlic than is in this week’s box.
I’d recommend cutting the recipe in half and using the entire bunch of
green garlic supplemented with some chives.
If you aren’t into soup this week, use the green garlic to make this Green Garlic Toast. This toast will go great with scrambled eggs
(perhaps with some ramp pesto mixed in) for a light dinner or a hearty
breakfast.
Spring has a beautiful way of nourishing us and giving us
just what we need, even when we don’t know we need it! The first of our double-vegetable feature
this week is Stinging Nettles. We wild harvest them on our farm, but also
plant them in the field. They need to be
handled carefully, especially before they are washed and cooked. They have little fibers on the stems that
contain several different compounds including formic acid, which will give you
a “stinging” sensation if you touch them with your bare skin. “Why
are you giving me a vegetable that will sting me?! Are you trying to kill me?!” No, quite the contrary!
Here are some recommendations for handling them. First, many of these stingers are removed
with vigorous washing, which we’ve already done for you. Even though we’ve washed them, I would still
recommend you handle them carefully and avoid touching with bare hands prior to
cooking. Some people are more sensitive
to their sting than others, which is why we’ve also put them in a plastic bag to
make it easier to get them home without touching them. You can use the bag as your “glove” to hold
the bottom of the bunch while you carefully remove the twist tie. We do recommend you wash them in a sink of
water after you’ve removed the twist tie.
While you are washing them, bring a big pot of water to a boil. Transfer the nettles from the sink to the
boiling water using a pair of tongs.
Boil them for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a bowl of ice water to
cool them. Now you can handle them with
your bare hands.
Yield: 2 cups
Ramp Pesto Serving Suggestions:
Overwintered Parsnips: Parsnip, Lemon & Poppy Seed Muffins with Lemon Drizzle; Creamed Spinach & Parsnips
Orange Carrots: Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Herbs; Carrot Cake Pancakes
Nettles: Nettle
Chips (See Below); Easy & Tasty Nettle Tea; Nettle & Mushroom Pizza with Ramp Cream
Green Garlic: Green Garlic Soup; Green Garlic Toast
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| Quiche with Ramps, Mushrooms & Brie (photo from thegourmetgourmand.com) |
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| Nettle & Mushroom Pizza with Ramp Cream |
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| Green Garlic Soup (photo from loveandoliveoil.com) |
If you have some chives remaining, use them to make Almond-Chive Salmon for dinner served with Creamed Spinach & Parsnips. If you have any salmon left, mix it with
mayonnaise to make a little salmon salad to take for lunch the next day.
This recipe for Carrot Tart with Ricotta & Herbs is a little bit more complicated, but it’s a lovely dish and would make a nice
brunch item or eat it as a light dinner.
Of course, those sweet carrots might also be great used to make these Carrot Cake Pancakes. This is a sure way to get children of all
ages to eat their vegetables!
We have a great week of meals ahead of us with all these
options. As we look ahead to next week,
we are crossing our fingers that we’ll be able to deliver ramps again as well
as more chives, nettles and green garlic.
We should also have some asparagus and red radishes to add to the
box! So, if you find more recipes you
want to try, save them until next week!
Have a great week of cooking and I’ll see you back here next week!
This Week's Featured Vegetables: Stinging Nettles & Wild Ramps--The Wild Things!
Nettles are very nutrient dense and we consider them to be a
“Wisconsin Super Food.” They help our
bodies wake up after a long, cold wet winter and help us purify our blood and
cleanse our bodies. They have anti-inflammatory
and anti-histamine properties. They are
high in protein as well as carotenoids, chlorophyll, iron, calcium, magnesium,
zinc, potassium, selenium and vitamins B, C, D and K. Wow—that’s a lot of nutritional goodness in
one plant! Nettles give us that jump
start we need in the spring and, they also taste great! Cooking destroys the stingers so you can then
safely handle them with bare hands. We
recommend cooking them before eating. They
have a rich flavor similar to spinach, but even better! So no, we are not trying to harm you. Rather, our intention is to give you
something delicious and nourishing.
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| Use the bag as a "glove" when handling nettles. |
Some of the lower portion of the stems may be tough, so only
use the leaves and tender upper stem portions.
You can pluck or cut these off
the main stem after they are cooked. Alternatively,
you can hold each stem (with your gloved/bagged hand) and use a pair of
scissors to snip the tender leaves off the main stem before you cook them. Checkout this blog post we did on May 10, 2018 which demonstrates these processes and includes pictures.
Nettle leaves are perishable, so it is best to cook them
shortly after you receive them. It is
better to store them in their cooked form for a few days until ready for
use. The cooking water makes a beautiful
tea, so don’t discard it. You can drink
the tea either hot or cold and mixed with honey and lemon. The water can also be used to cook pasta,
rice, etc. Nettles are often used to
make soup, but you can also use them in pesto, or risotto and pasta
dishes. Nettles may be substituted for
spinach in any recipe calling for cooked spinach. They pair well with eggs, dairy, mushrooms,
asparagus and other spring greens.
The second part of our feature is Wild
Ramps! Ramps are are one of the
first green things to pop up in the spring.
They have a very short season lasting, at most, 4-5 weeks. They have a unique flavor that is kind of
oniony-garlicky, but honestly the best way to describe it is simply rampy. They resemble a green onion, except they have
tender, delicate lily-like leaves. Ramps
grow in the woods and, while they can be replanted to establish new patches, it
takes a very long time for them to multiply and spread. Many, us included, are concerned about the
sustainability of ramps. Because they
take so long to multiply and replenish, it’s important to be mindful when
harvesting them. Ramps grow in clumps
and we’re careful to only take about half the clump while leaving the other
half undisturbed. If you’d like to learn more about our harvest practices, please read our blog post from April 20, 2017.
Ramps may be eaten raw or cooked. When raw they can be quite pungent, but the
flavor mellows with cooking. You can eat
both leaves and the lower bulb. Just
trim away the roots. Some popular ways to
use ramps include risotto and pasta dishes.
Ramps also pair well with eggs in scrambles, frittatas and quiche. Ramp pesto is another great way to use this
vegetable and it’s our featured ramp recipe this week. Ramps pair well with cream, cheese, bacon and
other spring vegetables including mushrooms, asparagus, nettles and spinach.
The leaves on ramps are the most perishable part and should
be used within a few days. To store
ramps, wrap the bunch in a damp paper or linen towel and keep them in the
refrigerator.
If you’re looking for more recipe and use ideas for these
two spring treats, check out the recipe archive on our website. We hope you enjoy these spring treasures!
Nettle Chips
1 bunch nettles
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos
Salt, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Wash the nettles in a sink of cold water. Using gloves or a bag over your hand, take the nettle stems out of the water and place them on a towel. Gently pat them dry.
- Using a scissors, trim the tender leaves and upper stem off the main stem. Put all of the trimmed leaves into a mixing bowl.
- Drizzle the leaves with oil and soy sauce or coconut aminos. Using a tongs, toss the leaves to thoroughly coat them with the oil and soy sauce mixture.
Spread the leaves on a non-stick baking sheet (or use
parchment paper). If you use low-sodium
soy sauce or coconut aminos, you’ll want to season the nettles lightly with a
sprinkling of salt. If you use full
sodium soy sauce, you may not need additional salt. - Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until crisp. You will need to turn them once about halfway through baking. Try to separate the leaves as best you can so they bake more evenly.
- Remove from the oven and cool. Taste one and add additional salt if needed. They are best eaten immediately.
Note: If you have
leftovers, crush the chips and use them as a topping to sprinkle on top of
salads, eggs or buttered toast.
Recipe by Chef Andrea
Ramp Pesto
Yield: 1-1 ½ cups
1 bunch ramps, cleaned
½ cup toasted almonds or pine nuts
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (or other hard cheese)
3-5 tsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Cut the leaves off the ramps. Roughly chop the leaves and set them aside.
Put the ramp bulbs and nuts in the bowl of a food
processor and coarsely chop them.
- Add the cheese, ¼ tsp salt, black pepper, 3 tsp lemon juice and the ramp leaves. Continue to process the contents while slowly pouring in the olive oil.
- Taste the pesto and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper and lemon juice to brighten it up.
- Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. It’s best to pour a little extra olive oil over the top of the jar to preserve the color of the pesto.
Ramp Pesto Serving Suggestions:
- Toss a few spoonfuls with hot pasta
- Stir into scrambled eggs
- Use ramp pesto as the base for a delicious homemade pizza topped with mushrooms, bacon, prosciutto, mozzarella, etc.
- Spread on toast or a bagel with fresh ricotta or cream cheese
- Stir a spoonful into mayonnaise and use it as a sandwich spread or dipping sauce
- Baste grilled or roasted chicken with pesto
- Serve with seared salmon
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