My wife and I just started receiving the first deliveries of the season from Just Farmed and the first delivery box contained farm fresh asparagus and ramps.  I am certainly excited to start cooking the warmer weather fruits and vegetables and this simple dish really allows the fresh, green, and delicious vegetables to really take center stage.  If you like great quality produce, you should definitely check out the Just Farmed program as it delivers local produce that’s mainly organic from area farms right to your door.

If you’ve never heard of ramps, they are a wild onion that has both mild onion and garlic flavors and they are found by and large up and down the mid-Atlantic and northern Atlantic states in the Eastern part of the U.S.  So, they truly are a local delicacy.  Further, they are only around for a few weeks during mainly during the early part of spring.  The greens and the whites of the ramp can be used just like a green onion/scallion.  However, since they have such a delicate flavor, it’s really best to use them in dishes where the delicate flavor doesn’t get lost in the dish.  So, think spreads, pastas with light flavored sauces, egg dishes, or flavored into grains such as rice, polenta, etc.

Einkorn wheat is an ancient grain of wheat that is found mainly in Italy.  Since it hasn’t been modified like most modern wheat, it has different taste, chemical, and digestive properties.  For one, it contains less gluten and as such people who want to watch the amount of gluten in their diet should definitely research this grain to see if it can work for them.  It won’t work for everyone and I am not advocating it as a gluten free product by any stretch.  I’m just saying it might be worth further investigation as an option for some.  Anyway, I soak the wheat for several hours up to overnight prior to cooking it.  Supposedly doing so helps with digestion but regardless of that, it certainly cuts down on the time it takes to cook the grain.

Here, I used a quart of light veal stock.  However, you can use chicken or vegetable stock, broth, or just water.  I wouldn’t suggest a heavy beef stock for this as the flavor it pretty strong and we want the spring vegetables to really shine here.  I didn’t add cheese to this dish but grating parmesan into the wheat just prior to serving would be a great addition.  Also, I used a bit of butter to sweat the onions but olive oil would work just as well.  Finally, if you want to add a bit of protein to the dish, fried or poached eggs, chicken, shrimp, beans, or other neutral flavored meats seasoned simply with salt and pepper are all great options.  Recipe follows after the jump…

Ingredients:

1.5 Cups Einkorn wheat

1 Quart Veal stock (or liquid of your choice)

1 Onion, chopped very finely

2 Bay leaves

1 Bunch of asparagus, blanched and chopped

1 Bunch of ramps, chopped coarsely

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more to taste as necessary

1 Lemon, halved

Kosher salt, red pepper flakes, and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Soak the wheat in a bowl of water, covered by around 2 inches above the wheat. Set aside, allowing the grain to soak for around 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Blanch the asparagus by bringing a large pot of water to boil. Once at a boil, add the handful of kosher salt to the pan and allow it to dissolve and come back to a boil.  Cut the ends off the asparagus and once the salted water is boiling again, add the asparagus to the pan and cook for 3 minutes.  If the asparagus is particularly thick, cook another 30 seconds.  While the asparagus is cooking, make an ice bath and set near the pan.  Once the 3 minutes has finished, remove the asparagus from the water and plunge immediately into the ice water bath to stop the cooking.  Allow the asparagus to remain in the water until they are completely cool and then remove and set aside.
• Heat the stock or water in a small pan and once warm, reduce heat to simmer.
• Finely chop the onion and set aside.
• Place a large pot over medium heat and allow pan to heat for a couple of minutes. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add more if necessary to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the finely chopped onions.
• Cook the onions over medium or medium low heat until they are translucent (about 5-8 minutes).
• Drain the wheat and then add it to the pan. Turn the heat back up to medium or medium high and stir the wheat around for a few minutes.  Add a pinch of kosher salt and a dash of red pepper flakes.  Add the bay leaves.
• Slowly ladle in the heated stock into the pot with the wheat and stir regularly. At first you may need a couple of ladles to get things going.  After that, add stock as needed when the wheat absorbs the liquid.  Add a little liquid at a time, stirring in between until the wheat is cooked to a nice al dente.  Once you achieve that level of doneness, place the pan on simmer.
• Chop the asparagus stems on a bias up to about 2 inches from the top of the vegetable. Add the stem portions to the pot to warm through.
• Chop the ramps by cutting the white part on a bias. Then roughly chop the greens.
• Add the white parts of the ramps to the pot and stir to combine. Remove the bay leaves.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt and freshly ground pepper until you reach a seasoning point that suites your tastes. Add a squeeze of lemon and stir to combine.

To serve, place some of the wheat and vegetables in a bowl.  Add some of the asparagus tops over the top of that.  Add a sprinkle of salt and a grind or two of black pepper over the top to finish.  Garnish with a lemon slice if desired to add a bit more acidity.  Serve while hot/warm.