Pickled Ramps

This is just an adorable little recipe to put some of my foraging success to good use.

And don’t be put off by the fact that Ramps is in the title.  If you don’t have ramps, feel free to use this pickling brine for any spring veg, like radishes, cucumber, spring onions, shallots, carrots, or even cippolini onions.  

The recipe for the brine is courtesy of David Chang of New York City’s Momofuko Noodle Bar restaurant fame.  He uses the brine for all sorts of spring veggies for charcuterie and appetizer plates.  So we can now as well!  I found the recipe on Chowhound, such a great resource for all sorts of unique recipes.

Truly, this is the best of Asian flavours all combined in one.  Any leftover brine can be balanced out with some olive oil and sesame oil to make a fabulous salad dressing.  You could even use it as a marinade for chicken!

Today I’m using the white bulb ends of some of the ramps we foraged for yesterday.  I have so many, that making up a jar of these is a no brainer.  And just in case you didn’t know, ramps are also known as wild leeks.  They are all part of the lily family (yes onions belong to the lily family) and this is also why the leaves remind me of lily-of-the-valley (which is NOT edible!)  The tender bulbs have a delicate onion/garlic flavour, and the leaves taste amazing as well.  Chopping up the leaves as well as the bulbs makes for a great addition to scrambled eggs or quiche.  And here’s my Ramp Frittata recipe.

I also use both end to make pesto, since the bulb takes the place of the garlic in the classic recipe, and the leaves replace the basil.  It makes for a lovely and balanced pesto that you should really give a try if you can.  Here’s the recipe: Ramp Pesto

Today I am showing you how to make up one smallish jar (about 1 cup’s worth) of pickled ramps.  The original recipe makes 2 cups, but this means having to get 1 lb or 450 grams or so worth of ramp bulbs.  That’s a lot of bulbs to purchase or forage for if you don’t have access to the wild version.   And I don’t want to make you purchase that many either, since it may be hard to come by at the markets.  But one little jar is perfect to get you through snacking and entertaining for the next month or so, which is exactly how long they last in the fridge!  But of course, if you can get more, just double the recipe below.

The more unusual ingredients are the rice wine vinegar, and the togarashi, if Asian cuisine is not a regular in your household.  Both are easily found in the ethnic aisle of your grocery store.  The togarashi is just a chilli seasoning blend.  If you can’t find it, here is a great recipe for making your own blend.  I use it all the time, and have the purchased version, but if I couldn’t find it, I would definitely be making up my own batch.  It goes great on all sorts of grilled meats and veggies, over eggs, potatoes etc.  But seriously, look for it in the stores, you may just be walking past it all this time.

If however you can’t find it and need it in a hurry, here’s a quick way to substitute for it: For every teaspoon of togarashi a recipe calls for, use 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp chilli powder 1/4 tsp black and white sesame seeds, and a pinch of grated orange zest.

Back to the brine.  It’s just a simple blend of the vinegar, sugar, water, togarashi, chilli flakes, and salt.  That’s it.  And because the ramps are so tender, they barely need blanching.  You can test for yourself by just biting into a cleaned raw one.  It has a pleasant crunch but not overly hard at all.  Depending on the size of your ramp bulbs, you may even choose not to blanch them at all.  Which is fine.

Warm the brine, add the ramps, and let them soften in the brine.  Once cooled transfer everything to a sterilized jar and store it in the fridge.  I dare you not to open the jar and snack on one every time you open the fridge door!

I’m going to be using the leaves from all these bulbs in pasta, as well as a quiche and maybe even some creamed ramps for a side dish.  Who’s with me?!!

Love Jen

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Pickled Ramps

A quick Asian style brine turns ramp bulbs into a wonderful snack for your next charcuterie board or pickle plate.

Course Condiment

Cuisine Asian

Keyword brine, ramps

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 1 cup

Ingredients

• 6-8 oz (175-200 gr) ramp bulbs, cleaned and trimmed

Brine

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp togarashi Japanese Seven Spice blend
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions

Ramps

1. Trim the ramps to capture only about 1/4 inch of the stem, it should still be bright white. If the bulbs are larger, they can be blanched quickly in boiling salted water, no more than 30 seconds.
2. Place them in a non-reactive bowl, say glass or ceramic.

Brine

1. Combine the brine ingredients in a small pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, and stir till the sugar is dissolved.
2. Pour the liquid over the ramps.
3. Let the ramps cool to room temperature and then pour them and as much of the liquid that will fit, into a 1 to 1 1/2 cup capacity jar that has been sterilized.
4. Store in the fridge. Best served chilled overnight. This will keep for a good month in the fridge.
5. If you have any brine leftover, it makes a great salad dressing with a bit of olive oil and sesame oil added to it!

Recipe Notes

This recipe will work with most veggies that you like to pickle.  You may just need to cut them into bite sized pieces and blanch them for a bit longer to make them appealing tender.  Then proceed with the recipe as is.

I especially like this with radishes and cucumber spears