Weathersfield Inn's Ramp Caesar Salad
Jason Tostrup is Chef-Partner at The Inn at Weathersfield in Perkinsville.
"Every May I anticipate filling up the back of my old Bonneville with the smell of ramps. These are wild onions that emerge each year after the winter thaw. I got my spot shown to me by a dear friend who graciously allows me to forage on her land. I usually set out early in the morning before the day has a chance to warm and hope for dry air. Each year I religiously pack my leather-bound knife holder that I made when I was a boy, along with a few bags, pull on my mud boots and head for the steep hillside covered with "green gold."
As I carefully harvest each one from the cool moist spring soil I am reminded of how fertile Vermont's soil is, and appreciate its generosity. I find myself lost in thought thinking about new ways to cook with them, as the act of ramping sets the tone for a new season and all that anticipation is released into renewed creativity. This is one of the many dishes I prepare from my ramping bounty."
Salad:
1 head romaine lettuce
Wild onion caesar dressing (recipe follows)
1 cup croutons
Shaved local cheese
Dressing:
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Juice from 2 lemons
2 anchovies, rinsed
1/2 cup pureed Ramp tops **
1cup grape seed oil
1cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated cheese (preferably firm and locally-made)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Place egg yolks, mustard, vinegar, lemon Juice, anchovy in food processor and blend until smooth. Mix the two oils together. While food processor is running very slowly, add a stream of oil into bowl egg mixture. Continue to add oil slowly until all of the oil has blend smoothly into the egg mixture, as if you were making a mayonnaise. Mix in ramp puree, cheese and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.*
Chop and wash romaine. Toss with croutons and dressing, place in bowls and shave local cheese on top.
*Yields 3 cups of dressing and should be eaten within two days.
**To make ramp puree: cut off ramp tops, clean in water and pat dry. Roughly chop and place in blender. Add just enough oil to cover and puree until smooth.
"Every May I anticipate filling up the back of my old Bonneville with the smell of ramps. These are wild onions that emerge each year after the winter thaw. I got my spot shown to me by a dear friend who graciously allows me to forage on her land. I usually set out early in the morning before the day has a chance to warm and hope for dry air. Each year I religiously pack my leather-bound knife holder that I made when I was a boy, along with a few bags, pull on my mud boots and head for the steep hillside covered with "green gold."
As I carefully harvest each one from the cool moist spring soil I am reminded of how fertile Vermont's soil is, and appreciate its generosity. I find myself lost in thought thinking about new ways to cook with them, as the act of ramping sets the tone for a new season and all that anticipation is released into renewed creativity. This is one of the many dishes I prepare from my ramping bounty."
Salad:
1 head romaine lettuce
Wild onion caesar dressing (recipe follows)
1 cup croutons
Shaved local cheese
Dressing:
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Juice from 2 lemons
2 anchovies, rinsed
1/2 cup pureed Ramp tops **
1cup grape seed oil
1cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated cheese (preferably firm and locally-made)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Place egg yolks, mustard, vinegar, lemon Juice, anchovy in food processor and blend until smooth. Mix the two oils together. While food processor is running very slowly, add a stream of oil into bowl egg mixture. Continue to add oil slowly until all of the oil has blend smoothly into the egg mixture, as if you were making a mayonnaise. Mix in ramp puree, cheese and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper.*
Chop and wash romaine. Toss with croutons and dressing, place in bowls and shave local cheese on top.
*Yields 3 cups of dressing and should be eaten within two days.
**To make ramp puree: cut off ramp tops, clean in water and pat dry. Roughly chop and place in blender. Add just enough oil to cover and puree until smooth.