Wild Ramp Pesto

Recipe from Food52.com

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

The Food52 website where I found this recipe correctly describes this pesto as “fiery and bright.”  You know me….I love spicy foods, so this turned out to be right up my alley.  No kisses for you after eating a bit of this earthy, oniony pesto, but if you feed it to your loved one too, you’ll both have spicy kisses, so it’ll be just fine and dandy.  Serve this over pasta. Dollop a bit over some potato soup or vegetable soup. Or make Wild Ramp Wraps!

1 bunch of ramps (about 4 cups or so)

1/2 cup walnuts (toasted)

1/3 cup olive oil (or 1/2 cup, you kind of have to eyeball it)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

juice of ½ of a fresh lemon

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil.  Add a generous pinch of Kosher salt.  While the water is heating up, trim off the roots of the ramps and discard.  Cut off the green leaves of the ramps and set aside.  Place the white part of the ramps into a food processor.  When the water comes to a boil, plunge the ramp leaves in boiling water. Prepare an ice bath which is just a big bowl of ice water set near the stove. After the leaves boil a few minutes and turn a vivid green, remove the leaves from the boiling water and plunge them into the ice bath to stop the cooking.  Drain the leaves well.

Chop the ramps, the leaves and walnuts in your food processor.

Add the cheese and a good dash of salt and pepper.

Pour the olive oil in slowly through the feeding tube.  Process the contents until they combine and look, well... pesto-y.  Taste for seasoning and add a good squirt of lemon.

Scoop out the pesto into a jar and cover with a lid.  Keep refrigerated or freeze.