Ramps have a short season so I like to make the most of it by experimenting with incorporating them into all types of recipes. From knödel to potatoes salad, you will find those recipes at the end of this post.
This version uses sexy seasonal ramps to amp up the taste adding a hint of wild garlic.
If ramps are not in season in your area, you can substitute leeks or scallions plus a clove of garlic. You will have to boil them to soften them before making a purée.
Ramp Spätzle in Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 large ramps
- 1/3 cup plus one tablespoon water
- 2+1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour separated
- pinch salt
- 3 medium-sized eggs
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 1 shallot
- 1+1/4 cups water
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Scant 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon instant vegetable broth
- salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
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Wash and dry the ramps. Trim the bulbs ends and finely chop the bulbs and leaves.
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Purée the chopped ramps with 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of water.
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Whisk together the 2+1/4 cups of all-purpose flour and pinch of salt.
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Whisk the eggs together in a separate small bowl and then stir them into the flour mixture.
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Add the canola oil and ramp puree. Use a wooden spoon to mix everything together into a smooth dough.
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Cover the bowl and store in a warm place for 20 minutes.
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Finely dice the shallot.
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Heat 3 tablespoons of the unsalted butter in a saucepan. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally until they are transparent.
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Add the three tablespoons all-purpose flour and stir to coat the shallot pieces.
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Pour 1+1/4 cups of water and the heavy cream into the pan, stirring constantly. Stir in the teaspoon of vegetable broth powder.
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Cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly until the sauce slightly thickens.
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Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
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Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Fill a separate bowl with ice cold water.
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Retrieve the dough from its warm place. Use a spätzle press or colander to squeeze the dough through the holes into the boiling salted water. The spätzle will sink to the bottom of the pan.
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When the spätzle floats up to the tup, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the boiling water and transfer the cooked spätzle to the bowl with the cold water. This will help the spätzle retain its green color.
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When all of the spätzle has been cooked and transferred to the cold water, drain the cooked spätzle into a colander and shake off the excess water.
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Heat the remaining two tablespoons of unsalted butter in a skillet or frying pan and the drained spätzle and heat, stirring to coat with the melted butter.
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Add the shallot cream sauce to the pan, stir to coat and heat until everything is the same temperature 5-6 minutes.
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Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with chopped ramp leaves and serve.
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Alternately, you can plate the naked spätzle and drizzle some of the warm cream sauce over the top and serve the rest in a small pitcher.
Recipe Notes
TIP: If you don't have a spätzle press, squeeze the batter through a colander with large holes.
TIP: If you don’t have a spätzle press, squeeze the batter through a colander with large holes.
2 comments
Love this idea… the wild garlic's just about gone here again, it got too warm all of a sudden 🙁 Happily I now have the most insane stash of wild garlic pesto in the freezer, is going to keep me going all year!!
We had the opposite here in the northeast. Most potatoes in the famers markets 🙁 Wild garlic pesto = yum!