At my birthday party last Saturday, my friends Albert and Kate came bearing a chocolate loaf cake and a half-pint jar of ramps (Albert works at the Fair Food Farmstand, which puts him in the ideal position to catch all the best and most exotic produce in town). I do believe that the very best thing to do with these gifted ramps is to a nice, long soak in a vinegary solution.
As luck would have it, I’ve seen not one, but two other bloggers out there pickling ramps of late. They both used variations on a recipe from Tom Colicchio that ran on Serious Eats last year. I’m tempted to run with that recipe, but I’m also sort of hesitant to use a sweet and sour brine. I’m just not a huge fan of sweet pickles. However, I do believe in the power and talent of Tom Colicchio, so I feel a bit sacreligious questioning his pickle authority.
Have any of you tried this pickled ramp recipe? Do you have an alternate suggestions? Or should I just pop them in my standard brine?
Hey Marisa,
Thanks for the shout-out. If you’re not a fan of sweet pickles, the Colicchio recipe may not be for you. That said, I’m really happy with the way the recipe turned out. The ramps retained their crunch and their pungent/spicy flavors weren’t at all overwhelmed by the sweet and sour brine. I’ll munch on one or two straight up but they’re particularly good with cheese and/or cured meat sandwiches as well as on burgers.
cheers,
David
Hey David, thanks for the comment! It’s good to hear your perspective on the Colicchio brine. -Marisa
If you like your regular brine why not stick with what works? Maybe you can try it both ways and compare after the fact. I wonder if they’ll have ramps at today’s inaugural Fountain Farmer’s market. If I find them, I might give pickled ramps a whirl.
Joy, I think that’s just what I’m going to do. No need to reinvent the wheel when I have something I’m happy with! I hope the Fountain market was fruitful! -Marisa
Ann from “A Chicken in Every Granny Cart” blog posted a pickled ramp recipe the other day—and someone in the comments said something (can’t remember if she loved or wanted to try) about Colicchio’s version.
I’ve never tried the version or pickled ramps, so I can’t weigh in, but hope this helps nonetheless!
Thanks Robin, I’m heading over to check out Ann’s post now! -Marisa
Marisa, the pickle guy at the Portland farmer’s market had pickled ramps last weekend, in the tiniest ‘precious goods’ jar next to an enormous crock of pickled fiddleheads. I wanted to ask him for a taste but Truman was in his whirling-est of dervish moods and started banging a stick on pickle lids, after which he obviously determined I was a nuisance and proceeded to ignore me until I went away.
but the good news is, I took a photo! and plan to try again to pester him and discover his recipe another day. he does a lot of things in the sour pickle method so I’m eager to see what his process is.
How long would I process the Tom Collichio recipe if I did pint jars?
Unfortunately, that’s not a recipe that’s designed for canning.