Ramps for Breakfast

Ramps, ramps, ramps! That's all I've been hearing for the past couple weeks as spring gets itself sprung here in New York and the first fresh green things hit the farmer's markets. I missed these last season, and I don't think I'd even heard of them before then, so I was determined to get my hands on some. Fort Greene Farmer's Market to the rescue. An impromptu bike ride in the unseasonal 80 degree weather got me there in no time. The ramps were expensive, but I played it off like no big deal when the handsome young man at the stand told me 10 bucks for two scallion - sized bunches. "They're foraged, you know," he said. Ah, foraged = $$.


Ramps are native to North America and are also known as wild leeks. Their flavor is somewhere between onions and garlic. I decided that breakfast was in order. Since I'm always looking for different beds for my favorite breakfast staple, poached eggs, I decided to saute them along with some Swiss chard and Vidalia onions I had on hand. I used an entire bunch in this single serving and I found it totally delicious, but feel free to alter the proportions with your other greens. Also, some sort of breakfast potato would put this over the top awesome-wise.

Sauteed Ramps & Chard with Poached Eggs
2 eggs
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

olive oil (I used 1 teaspoon bacon fat that I had left over from the insane amount of bacon that I cooked for the Bacon Takedown.)
1 bunch ramps, cleaned and trimmed
2 large leaves of chard
1/2 small onion, diced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Put the water for your poached eggs on over high heat. Add the vinegar and salt.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high. Cut the leaves off the the ramps and into 1 inch slices and set aside. Dice up the stalks like you would with scallions. Do the same thing with the chard, setting the leaves aside with the ramp leaves. When the skillet is heated, add the onion and the diced stalks of the ramps and chard. Cook, stirring until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the sliced leaves of the ramps and chard and cook until wilted another 2-3 minutes. Add the pepper flakes, vinegar, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, once the water is boiling for the poached eggs, add them gently, turn off the heat, cover and set a timer for 3 1/2 minutes. Pile the sauteed ramp mixture onto a plate. Check the eggs when the timer goes off and if the whites look done enough for your taste, carefully remove with a slotted spoon and place atop the greens.

Grilled Tri-Tip Steaks

Holy wowsers. This tri-tip steak knocked my socks off and into the laundry. (I heard Paula Dean say that on NPR recently!) They turned out tender and juicy and were really easy to make.



When I picked up an inexpensive package of three small steaks at Trader Joe's I wasn't sure what to expect. I've never made tri-tip before. Raised by vegetarians, meat was the exception in my house growing up, so I didn't get exposed to cooking techniques or the multitude of different cuts available. So after a quick internet search, I decided to wing a spice rub and throw these guys on the grill. I didn't measure anything so use your judgment based on the number of steaks you are using. The salad is made with mesclun greens from the greenmarket tossed with a flax seed vinaigrette, sliced red peppers, mushrooms and scallions.

Spice rub:
One part each: ground coriander, ground ginger & garlic powder
1/4 part: cayenne pepper (or use ground sichuan peppercorns, if available.)
salt & ground pepper to taste

Put the steaks in a plastic bag with the spice rub, turning and massaging the rub into the meat. Refrigerate. When the grill is ready, put the steaks on over the hottest part. Cook for a few minutes on each side, then move to a cooler part of the grill. Cover and cook to desired temperature. (Poke the meat with your finger, if it gives easily it's rare, if it's hard it's well done. I prefer medium or medium rare. Practice touching your meat (haha) every time and eventually you'll know by feel when it's where you want it. Also, don't forget that the meat will cook a bit further once you take it off the grill.) Remove and let the steaks rest for 5 minutes. I sliced mine against the grain to eat with my salad the next day. Best enjoyed outside.

Underground Food Collective Spring Dinners

Curses! & Drat! I'm going to be in Seattle for the International Food Bloggers Conference for every one of these Celebrate Spring dinners! The Underground Food Collective from Wisconsin is back in Brooklyn and joining forces with local meat maven Marlow & Daughters, and foraged food fanatics Wild Organic. The dinners will feature multiple courses paired with local beers. Tickets are reasonable and seats will sell out quickly. Buy them here: link and then make me jealous after you go.

May 15 - Rooftop Dinner, $65
May 17 - Urban Farm Dinner, $80 (This dinner is a benefit for Added Value)
May 18 - Scratch Kitchen Dinner, $65

Sausages with French Green Lentils

I'm excited to post this soul-satisfying recipe from Saveur, one of my favorite food mags. Despite the arrival of spring, it's still chilly outside and I was craving warmth and goodness. From the bleak and wintry mountain region of Auvergne in France, this dish is designed to combat the wind and cold from the inside out. Although I couldn't find the saucisses d'auvergne (fresh pork country sausages,) I did look for the recommended substitution of sweet Italian links at the Union Square Greenmarket. I guess it was too late in the day, because everyone was sold out. Whole Foods across the street had links that were surprisingly affordable. I paid just under $6 for four nice wieners. All in all, this is an inexpensive and hearty meal.

Italian Sausage with Lentils
adapted from Saveur Magazine
note: I used green lentils from Whole Foods, but they fell apart when cooked for the time suggested in the original recipe because they were much starchier then the Lentilles de Puy that should be used. I have used the smaller French version for cold lentil salad with shallots and they are delicious. David Lebovitz has a nice write up on them here. If you substitute regular green lentils, keep an eye on them and turn off the heat once they are softened.

2 strips thick cut bacon (I used Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked bacon, available at Trader Joe's)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
4 sprigs thyme
2 fresh bay leaves
12 oz. French green Puy lentils, sorted and rinsed
salt & pepper to taste
4 sweet Italian sausages
1 cup white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar



Cut the bacon into into small strips. After I did this I turned around to find that my roommate had decided to make a statement:


Fry the bacon in a large saucepan until the fat is rendered, 5-6 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery & butter and cook until softened, about 12-15 minutes.


Tie the herbs together with kitchen twine and add to the pan along with lentils and 5 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender. Depending on the type of lentils this will take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour or so.


Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, bring the sausages, wine and 1 cup of water to boil over high heat. Cook until most of the liquid is evaporated, turning sausages occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and add oil. Cook, turning frequently, until sausages are browned, 6-8 minutes.


When the lentils are ready, remove and discard the herb bundle. Stir in mustard, vinegar, salt & pepper. Top with sausages and serve.

This picture will last longer

Sometimes I feel sad when I get to the end of something delicious. Today while eating brunch, I thought, dear god, I don't want this magic to end. So I took a photo to remember the glory that is a toasted bialy with cream cheese, smoked Alaskan salmon, capers, white onion and fresh ground pepper. I submit, for your enjoyment, the following food porn: