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@ossobuco,

Adds - I'm sure I used red boiling potatoes, never tried it with other types.

0 Replies

@JPB,

http://www.foodsubs.com/Onionsgreen.html

Quote:

ramps = ramp = wild leek = Tennessee truffle Notes: These have a strong onion-garlic flavor which tends to linger on the breath. Despite their humble Appalachian origins, ramps tend to be pricey and are usually found in gourmet produce markets. They're available from March to June. Substitutes: leeks (milder, larger) OR Chinese chives Or green garlic

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@Butrflynet,

One of the things I read is that the residual breath odor can last for days after eating. Fortunately, Mr B and I both like garlicky foods.

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@Butrflynet,

West Virginia has a ramp festival and website:

http://www.richwooders.com/ramp/ramps.htm

Their website has a list of links to other sites with recipes using ramps.

Some highlights for you:

http://www.wild-leeks.com/ramp_recipe.htm

Ramp Gratin
Ramp Casserole
Grilled Tuna with Ramps, Anasazi Beans and Charred Tomato Vinaigrette
Steamed Fiddleheads with Wild Leek Greens
Risotto with Leeks and Radicchio

http://gothamist.com/2006/04/26/whats_fresh_ram.php

Pasta with Ramps and Cured Pork
Pickled Ramps

http://north-link.net/cmsakry/1pub/8904mod1.htm

May Basket Salad
Stuffed Morels With Wild Leeks
Creamed Wild Leek Soup
Wild Leek Pie

0 Replies

@ossobuco,

Thanks, osso. That sounds good too.

1 Reply

@JPB,

My all time fave is get something out of the freezer and defrost it slowly.

Check if there are any vegetables nearby : lower down , outside or imaginary.

Combine ingredients to form meal.

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@ossobuco,

I'm making your soup recipe today, osso. I'll let you know how it turns out. This week's basket included asparagus, broccoli, arugula, spinach, sorrel, ramps, white potatoes, white and baby portabella mushrooms, a block of growing sweet pea shoots, oregano, gala apples, mandarin oranges and strawberries. I'm in produce heaven! The fresh mandarin oranges are delicious - I've only ever had them in cans before. The organic strawberries taste like strawberries are suposed to taste.

Last night I made a nicoise-type salad with some greens from my garden, some arugula, potatoes, hb eggs, raddishes, green beans, olives, shallots, some pea shoots, tuna and a tarragon vinegarette. My tarragon is tall enough to harvest now. Lots of vinegarette in my future.

I need to do something with the asparagus and broccoli soon. I still have leftovers of both from last week.

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@ossobuco,

MARGARET COSTA'S GREEN SOUP
(From Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book)

That was delicious. I tried a piece of the sorrel before I threw it into the blender. It reminded me of the taste of sour grass (a weed) that we used to eat as kids. I expected the soup to be sour. It wasn't really. It was bright and fresh and yummy. I'd definitely make that again.

I didn't add the sugar and I didn't peel the potatoes first because I was using baby early potatoes. I used a combination of vegetable stock and chicken stock. I didn't add any of the toppings except a few snips of chive. Delicious!

1 Reply

@JPB,

I got sort of addicted to it.. had a bunch of it growing in my raised beds back in Venice, my good old garden days of yore. Easy care in a place like southern california. I guess the potato tames the sourness..

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

I make a similar-ish green soup, osso, using silverbeet (chard), pancetta, zucchini & lots of garlic ... and a few other goodies.
One of my winter staples.
I'll see if I can find it .... it's here somewhere on A2K.

1 Reply

@msolga,

Ah, here it is! :

Quote:

Zucchini & silverbeet soup:
(serves 8)

3 tbsp olive oil
60g pancetta (optional)*
1 large onion, chopped
2 leeks, well rinsed & sliced, both white & green tender parts
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 cups degreased chicken or vegetable stock*
I kg zucchini, trimmed & coarsely chopped
1 large potato, peeled & cut into 1 cm cubes
1/2 cup chopped continental (flat) parsley
250 silverbeet leaves (half a bunch) well rinsed & chopped
salt & freshly ground black pepper
lemon wedges to serve

Combine oil, pancetta, onion, leek & garlic in a large, heavy-based saucepan & cook very slowly until the vegetables are tender but not brown, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add stock, zucchini, potato & parsley & simmer till the potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Add the silverbeet & season with salt & pepper. Cook a further 1 minute & remove from heat. If a thicker soup is required, remove 1/2 the soup & blend, then return to the pot & heat through. Serve in heated soup bowls, with lemon wedges separately.

Variation: for a crunchier soup, saute a few chopped zucchini in a little olive oil 7 stir in before serving.

* I've made this soup both with & without the pancetta, also with both chicken & vegetable stocks & the results have been good. If you haven't pancetta, perhaps some bacon could be substituted.

1 Reply

@msolga,

I've got to use more zucchini. I already use chard a lot, but somehow zucchini has fallen by the wayside lately. Your soup looks good, msolga.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

Thanks, osso.
So does yours.

Mine is a "winter warmer" sort of soup, though.
Probably not exactly suitable for your current weather.

1 Reply

@msolga,

I don't pay much attention to seasons re food, except that I like to use seasonal produce. The last 'recipe' I saved re zucchini was - - - - zucchini lasagne:
http://prouditaliancook.blogspot.com/2011/02/zucchini-lasagne.html

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc193/prouditaliancook/PIC/veg8.jpg

quoting,
"I alternated between the marinara and the bechamel sauce spooning some onto each layer, into my basic bechamel consisting of butter, flour and milk I squeezed a bit of roasted garlic and a nice handful of parmesan cheese. After spraying my baking dish with olive oil the layers went like this;
Pasta noodles
Bechamel
Ricotta cheese mixture ( ricotta, basil, egg and romano cheese)
Fresh and shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated romano or parmesan cheese
Marinara sauce
Zucchini slices
Repeat!
End with pasta on top and a generous amount of marinara to cover. P.S. If you're carb conscious just eliminate the pasta all together!
Bake in a 375F oven uncovered for around 45 minutes. Don't forget to let it stand for a while before you cut into it!
Buon Appetito!"

2 Replies

@ossobuco,

I don't really understand zucchini. I don't find it adds any type of particular flavour to anything. It seems like moist filler to me - down-market tofu in a way. Maybe someday I'll develop a love for it.

2 Replies

@ehBeth,

I see your point. It is, at the least, subtle if not flavorless. I've best liked it thinly sliced and roasted with dribbles of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then squeezes of lemon when removed from the oven.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

It never rains but it pours..

from the Chocolate and Zucchini blog -
50 things to do with sorrel:

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2011/04/50_things_to_do_with_fresh_sorrel.php#more

0 Replies

@ehBeth,

I had two zucchini to use up. This morning I grated one and made muffins (eh, they're alright, not great). Tonight I thick diced the other one and added it to baby portabella mushrooms, large diced yellow pepper, and asparagus with a little olive oil and salt and threw the melange on the grill. I added some fresh thyme and oregano and a squeeze of lemon juice after I took them off the grill.

I don't know that the zucchini added anything flavor-wise but it was good all thrown in together with the other veggies and flavors.

1 Reply

@JPB,

I see zucchini as a good "soaker-upper" of other flavours in a recipe (a bit like eggplant/aubergine, in a way), definitely not the star of any dish I can think of, off the top of my head.
It can add bulk & thickness to soups (like the recipe I posted above).
And when allowed to grow really big (& is then called "marrow" in this part of the world) it's pretty good for stuffing with flavoursome goodies, then baked, with browned bread crumbs & grated cheese on top.
Oh, I just remembered a middle eastern baked quiche-like dish (minus the pastry) I've made before ... but that took a helluva lot of cheese to make it interesting!

1 Reply

@msolga,

Just thought of another use for zucchini.:
Ratatouille.
Although it's not actually an ingredient in the (linked) recipe below, it's often included.
The thing I like about Ratatouille is that it's a handy user-upper of vegetables from the summer garden ... & so simple to make.

http://cdn.taste.com.au/images/recipes/del/2001/11/6876.jpg

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6876/ratatouille

0 Replies

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