Ramp Pesto
Ingredients
3 bunches ramps, cleaned and bulbs removed
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup Parmigiano or Asiago cheese, grated
3 medium cloves garlic
2 teaspoons lemon zest
juice from one lemon
salt and pepper
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
1
In a food processor, place the ramps, walnuts, cheese, zest, lemon juice and a generous amount of salt and pepper and pulse until combined into a paste.
2
With the processor running, drizzle the oil from the top, starting with 1/3 of a cup. If the pesto looks thick, at the remaining olive oil, if it is a good consistency stop at 1/3 cup.
3
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
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About
This is a quick, easy and versatile pesto that makes use of Springs most in demand and short lived vegetable - Ramps!
I chose to leave the ramps raw in my pesto, which makes for a very pungent flavor. If you’d like to tone it down a bit, blanch the ramps for 30 seconds in boiling water and then immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice water.
Yield:
1 1/2 cups pesto
Added:
Saturday, April 14, 2012 - 3:29pm