sugar snap pea salad dressed in ramp pesto

Ramps are the homecoming queens of spring. But, like, every year. And, honestly, why wouldn’t they be? They have the full package: unique but familiar, beautiful, and just rare enough to obsess over.  

You can think of ramps as a garlicky scallion, in terms of use. But, unlike scallions, their flavor is strong instead of subtle and they have long tapering leaves that provide more surface area to work with for applications such as grilling or sautéing. Raw, they’re herby and pungent in a way that’s almost spicy. But, once sautéed or blanched, that flavor is tempered, revealing a much softer oniony flavor.

Ramps can be hard to get your hands on because they only grow for about a month every year, usually dying in about mid-May, or whenever the weather gets too hot for their soft green leaves. On top of that, they’re usually foraged rather than farmed, and are rarely available in your day-to-day grocery store, making them the elite queens of Spring produce.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad Dressed in Ramp Pesto

Ingredients:

1 bunch ramps 

1 cup parmesan cheese

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup pistachios

1 lemon, juice and zest

4 cup sugar snap peas

Salt to taste

Step 1:

Prepare the snap peas by removing each tip and slicing in half lengthwise. You could also leave the snap peas whole for bigger bites. In that case, simply prepare them by removing each tip and the fibrous string that runs along the length of the pod. If you think of each snap pea as the letter c, the string runs along the inner curve of the c. To remove it, use a paring knife to cut off the tip of the snap pea, cutting towards the inner curve. Do this slowly and the string will catch, allowing you to pull it all the way off.

Step 2:

Clean your ramps thoroughly! The best way is to rinse and then place in a bowl of water. The dirt should fall to the bottom of the bowl. Pat to dry. Cut the bunch of ramps into fourths and place in a food processor, along with the pistachios, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pulse until the ingredients are roughly chopped. Remove the lid and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Replace the lid, turn the food processor on and begin to stream in the olive oil until the pesto emulsifies. Taste the pesto and season with salt.

Step 3: 

Add two big spoonfuls of the pesto to the English snap peas. Toss until the peas are fully coated. Taste and adjust with more pesto or salt. Once it is dressed and seasoned to your taste, transfer the salad to a shallow bowl or large plate. Arrange evenly in the vessel and top with lots of shaved parmesan cheese and lemon zest.