Wild Ramps and Parmesan Scramble

Name: Wild Ramps and Parmesan Scramble
Yield: serves 1
Ingredients: 4 ounces ramps; 3 extra-large eggs; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved with a carrot peeler (1/4 cup); Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

December 14, 2011

Our friend Gerry has a farm in upstate New York, in Delaware County, and it is a trove of little wildly growing goodies. Each spring, around the end of April through the end of May, little leafy wild leeks, called ramps, spring up (ahead of the rhubarb, ahead of the asparagus) in patches on the side of streamlets. These wild leeks taste amazingly good with eggs, though we often pickle the bulbs and use just the leaves for scrambled eggs. At our local farmers’ market in Manhattan’s Union Square, ramps are one of the first green things to fill the winter-barren tables. If you can’t find ramps, leeks make a good substitute. Use one-quarter of a well-washed, chopped leek per serving. Also try substituting goat cheese for the Parmesan for a slightly different flavor. Serve with Skillet Hash Browns (page 211).

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