ramps

Plodding along this week - rain every other day makes it hard to get things in the ground and I'm ready to see my own garden spring forward. It's been a slow, ease into spring this year, but at least the parsley's come back (sometimes it doesn't) and the sorrel and arugula are doing just fine. I've even spotted sprouts in the radish and chard rows. Our farmer's markets are just now starting up again - I snapped up some baby kale, scallions, salad greens and these local ramps. Which, if like me you didn't know existed until fairly recently, are a nice find at the market. Local wild (foraged) foods seem to be gaining popularity and I love coming across them. They're special - unique to our localities, only available when perfectly in season, hand-picked - often the kind of thing for which recipes are recited from memory, passed down or jotted on scraps of paper, origins murky or possibly unknown altogether. Though I suppose these days, you can find just about anything online... Pizza with Wild Ramps, Mushrooms and Sausage (another pizza - no rules - use whatever quantities you have on hand) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a medium skillet, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil over medium heat. Saute 1 link of Italian sausage (sweet or hot), casing removed and meat crumbled, with a handful of sliced mushrooms and a small bunch of cleaned, trimmed and sliced ramps for a few minutes, until the sausage is cooked through and the mushrooms have softened. Spread a ball of pizza dough out on a baking sheet (or free-form on parchment paper, if baking on a stone), spread a few tablespoons of pizza sauce over the crust, top with a crumble of feta and some grated Provalone. Distribute the sausage and ramp mixture across the surface and bake for 10-20 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the cheese has melted (if using a stone, transfer the pizza, still on the parchment, to the stone and bake, paper and all, in the same manner).

bliss!

Really, what can I say?

I'm still tickled.

Over these:

I really don't even have words to describe my enthusiasm. I'd like to just type paragraphs of exclamation points. Is that over the top? I don't care! Can you believe I came away from the market with this treasure of just-foraged morels?!?! This is the first time I can ever remember seeing wild mushrooms at a local farmer's market, and curiously I had just recently discussed this lack of fungi with a few sympathizers. Happy to be proven wrong. Thank you foragers!
Seems a bit cruel to cut up such glorious haul, but trust me. Or rather, trust Alice. This salad is divine. Coupled with a handful of herb-roasted new potatoes and a cool glass of wine - bliss. Roasted Wild Mushroom Salad with Parmesan

from Alice Water's Chez Panisse Vegetables

foraging fantasy

When autumn arrives and the crisp air is filled with the scent of fallen leaves and the smoke of bonfires, I start craving something warm, earthy, and fragrant. I wish I could tell you that I went out into the woods, just at dawn, clad in wool and toting a rustic basket, to forage for wild mushrooms to fulfill such a craving. The imagery is perfect. The reality, however, is that I wouldn't know where to begin in picking the edible from the poisonous. So, for now, I'll be satiated with intensely flavored dried mushrooms, a few of the old button variety, and some very good wild rices. I hope you will be too.

Wild Rice with Mushrooms and Fennel

(adapted from 'Wild Rice With Fennel and Porcini' originally published in the February 1995 issue of Gourmet magazine)

Ingredients:

1/2 oz. (14 g.) dried Porcini mushrooms

3/4 Cup boiling water

2 Tb. sherry

1 Cup wild rice blend

2 Cups water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Tb. butter

2 small (or 1 large) fennel bulbs, chopped (1 cup), a few fronds reserved for serving

1/2 Cup shallots, finely chopped

8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced

Pinch of salt

Ground pepper

3 Tb. sherry

1/2 Cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped

Grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

In a heat-proof bowl, pour boiling water over dried Porcinis. Add in 2 Tb. sherry, and let steep 20-30 minutes, or until mushrooms have softened. Remove mushrooms (reserving the soaking liquid), chop coarsely and set aside. In a small saucepan, simmer the reserved soaking liquid until reduced to 1/3 cup. Carefully strain liquid to remove any sediment.

Combine the strained mushroom soaking liquid, wild rice blend, 2 cups of water, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 45 minutes, or until rice is cooked through (if there is additional liquid left after rice is fully cooked, drain it away).

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, fennel, Porcinis, and button mushrooms. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Saute until fennel is soft and mushrooms are golden - about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 3 Tb. sherry and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Cook another minute or so, until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, add the cooked rice and chopped parsley, and mix to combine. Serve garnished with reserved chopped fennel fronds and a grating of Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a meal The sherry used in this recipe (I used an Amontillado sherry) does wonders for developing the flavor of the already hearty Porcini and compliments the fennel nicely too. The aroma is heavenly. However, if you prefer not to use sherry, I'd suggest replacing it with tamari or soy sauce. Or, omitting it altogether and using a good stock instead of water to cook the rice.