Ramp Butter
This is a great way to preserve the flavor of ramps well beyond their growing season. It makes a great topping for steaks, chops, fish, and even grilled vegetables. If you can’t find ramps, try using 5 cloves of garlic and a handful of fresh spinach.
8-10 ramps
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
parchment paper
Wash the ramps thoroughly to remove all traces of the forest, then separate bulbs from the greens. Add the olive oil to a medium pan and sauté bulbs until they’re just translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Rough chop the greens and add them to the bulbs. Sauté the ramps for another minute or so until the greens just begin to wilt. Season with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and put the whole mess into the food processor. Pulse the processor until the greens are all chopped and reach the consistency of pesto. Allow the ramp puree to cool to room temperature before smashing in with your room temperature butter. You can use a mixer for this, but I like to use my hands to really squish it all into the butter. Lay the butter lengthwise in the middle of a large sheet of parchment paper and roll the whole thing up like a giant saltwater taffy. Twist the ends tightly to really force the butter into a nice uniform log. Now freeze the butter until you need it. When you want some of that ramp flavor, just slice of what you need and put the rest back in the freezer for later.
