Highlight the tastes of spring vegetables with grains or pastas that really allow the ingredients to shine!

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… Continue reading →