Good morning! How are you making the most of spring produce?
Spring is SO full of exciting possibilities when it comes to cooking. Everything green bursts out of the ground after months of wintering and hibernation, as do I; springtime is just one reminder after another that there’s a world outside your house.
Personally, I’ve been leaning into asparagus lately. This bright veg holds its crunch and doesn’t need much cook time, and offers up endless options just depending on how you slice it. Into tiny coins? On a sharp bias to get some nice, pointy edges? Or as simple spears, with only their woody ends snapped off?
Whenever asparagus season comes around, I like to make my asparagus carbonara, where I sub out the bacon for little spears of asparagus. I also love to make this turmeric black pepper chicken and asparagus from Ali Slagle at New York Times. This year, I didn’t have chicken so I subbed in tofu, to great results. I paired it with some black rice that I got from the farmer’s market! Black rice is new to me—it takes a little longer than white rice, and it is MESSIER for sure, but it’s become my new obsession. The texture is a little meatier, the taste a little earthier, and the color is just fun.
One of my favorite asparagus creations is my new recipe for creamy white beans with asparagus and ramp oil. The asparagus gets sautéed with some ramp stems and lemon juice; the beans get stewed in some cream and gruyere; then everything comes together with a drizzle of sizzled ramps in olive oil. It’s perfect for those chillier spring days, where you still want something fresh and green but also something comforting.
I recently had the THRILL of tasting some dishes from Carbone, and the absolute highlight was their springtime risotto with bursts of snap peas and asparagus. I think this bean dish was a little bit of that risotto expressing itself at home. Crunchy, hidden green gems amid a sea of creamy carbs create such an exciting experience in your bowl, where every bite feels like that scene in Ratatouille where Remy closes his eyes and sees sparks as he eats cheese and a strawberry.
I’ve also gotten really into making gremolata, but with ramps rather than parsley. I’d never made gremolata before a few weeks ago, and now I’m obsessed. It adds such a zing to any dish—I’ve added it on top of a mushroom pasta, in an omelette, and then the next day in a breakfast sandwich! I also love the process of using a mortar and pestle. It takes some elbow grease to get all your ingredients to start to bind, and at some point in the process I always think it’s not going to come together or I’ve done something wrong. But the almonds and ramps start to release their oils, with the help of some added olive oil and lemon juice, a real, actualized spread starts to form. Simply from the effort of your own arms! A reminder that cooking is magical sometimes.
Lastly, I have two new recipes up for celeriac! If you’re not familiar, it’s just another (prettier) name for celery root. As we got into shoulder season in March, the big, gnarly celeriac bulbs at the market started to call out to me; this ingredient is a great way to trick yourself into thinking you’re eating something green, even though it grows underground. Once you open it, you’ll see why—that rooted, gnarled exterior is hiding a scent of fresh celery that immediately leaps out of the bright white flesh. It’s like cracking open a geode. So those recipes are below; my recipe for celeriac and beans is actually a kind of winter version of the asparagus and beans for spring.
You can find all these recipes below, or as always, in my recipe archive! Thanks for reading!!
ICYMI: a reminder that I’ve launched a series alongside my newsletters called Me My Stove and I! It’s been so fun to peep into my friends’ kitchens for a week and learn how they nourish themselves and what types of produce and recipes get them excited. Cooking for yourself can be such a joyful experience - I’m really hoping this series reignites that for everyone! If you want to be a part of the series, please reach out!! Stay tuned for the next edition on how my filmmaker friend cooks for herself in a week!
Asparagus and white beans with ramp oil
Time: 45 minutes | Difficulty: 2/5 | Yield: 2 meals
Have you ever put creamy white beans and asparagus together? If not, this is your sign to do so. This dish is like a mix between a cassoulet and a spring risotto, where soft white beans hug bright, lemony asparagus coins, all wrapped in a cheesy, creamy blanket and topped with zesty ramp oil. You could certainly strain out the ramp leaves, and only use the green sizzled oil they leave behind - perhaps as a courtesy for your desk lunch leftovers. This recipe uses an entire can of beans, making it perfect for two meals!
Ingredients/Tools:
5 to 6 spears of asparagus
1 can of white beans (you can use cannellini, navy, or butter beans)
4 to 5 ramps, stems and leaves (if you are using only the green leaves, substitute two cloves of garlic for the ramp stems)
1/2 cup shredded gruyere
Lemon juice
White wine
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/4 cup heavy cream
Parmesan shavings
Butter
Olive oil - at least three tablespoons, for both the beans and the ramp oil
Method:
Slice the asparagus into coins. Separate the ramp stems from the leaves; dice the stems, and chop the ramp leaves as finely as possible.
In a large pot, add half a tablespoon of butter and a drizzle of olive oil. When the butter has melted, add the asparagus and half the ramp stems. Stir everything and toast until the asparagus is bright green, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper, then a splash of lemon juice. Set the asparagus aside (in the same bowl you’ll plan to serve this in later) and drizzle with a bit more lemon juice.
In the same pot, add another half tablespoon of butter and the rest of the ramp stems. Sizzle until the butter starts to turn slightly brown, then deglaze with a large splash of wine. Let the brown fond at the bottom of the pan bubble up with the wine, stirring to loosen it (and get that flavor!). When the bubbles have died down and smell of alcohol has died down, a couple minutes, add in the dijon mustard. Stir to combine. The liquid should look like the consistency of a thin sauce.
Add the entire can of beans, and their liquid, into the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine. Pour in the heavy cream, along with a 1/4 cup of water. Turn the heat up and bring to a boil, then lower it all to simmer until the liquid has been mostly absorbed, about 20 minutes.
When the mixture has tightened and come together, turn off the heat and add the asparagus back into the pot with the beans, along with the gruyere. Stir everything well.
In a separate pan, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chopped ramp leaves straight into the oil. Sizzle for about 3-5 minutes, making sure that the leaves never turn brown.
Add your beans and asparagus to a bowl, and top with the ramp oil and some shaved parmesan.
Ramp and almond gremolata
Time: 15 minutes | Difficulty: 3/5 | Yield: About 1/2 a cup of gremolata
Gremolata is typically made from parsley and garlic. Ramps, with their garlicky greens, kill both these ingredients with one stone! The result is a bright, zingy condiment that can be used on top of anything, whether it be a mushroom pasta or an omelette with mozzarella. M akinremolata takes a little elbow grease—it will seem at first like these ingredients could never come together in a paste, but as the almonds and greens release their oils, and you introduce the lemon juice, everything will start to combine into a surprising and delicious spread.
Ingredients/Tools:
3-4 ramp leaves
1/2 cup salted, roasted almonds
1 tbsp minced shallots
2 tbsp Pecorino
1-2 tsp Lemon juice
Olive oil
A mortar and pestle
Method:
Add the almonds to a dry pan and heat on medium until toasted. Let them cool, then add to the mortar.
Julienne the ramp leaves: stack the leaves lengthwise on top of each other, then roll them tightly. Cut along the short edge to create thin strips.
Crush the ramp leaves and almonds together in the mortar, along with a pinch of salt. Add a drizzle of olive oil and continue to press them into a paste. Gradually add the lemon juice, then more olive oil, adjusting depending on how dry the paste seems. Add the shallots and crush. Then add the pecorino and crush it all together again. Taste to see if any more salt is needed.
Add to the top of pastas, inside omelettes, or as a sandwich spread!
Garam masala potatoes and celeriac
Time: 1 hour | Difficulty: 2/5 | Yield: 1 breakfast serving
This recipe came about when I was craving papri chaat one morning (potatoes and chickpeas spiced with garam masala and chaat masala), and was out of chickpeas. Seeing the celeriac, or celery root, in my fridge, got me thinking - how would this fragrant, earthy root veg pair with potatoes? As it turns out, WELL. The garam masala also complements the vegetables perfectly, with its earthy, nearly sweet flavors. I also added some garlic that gets cooked in its own husk in the oven, creating a squeezable, spreadable garlic that tops the vegetables beautifully. This is perfect for breakfast, or as a spicy side dish to accompany a main like chicken.
Celeriac and beans with balsamic mushrooms
Time: 30 minutes | Difficulty: 2/5 | Yield: 1 serving plus a little leftovers
Celeriac, or celery root, is one of those really surprising root vegetables that carries tons of flavor. Don’t let its unassuming exterior fool you - when you crack it open, it reveals the deep aroma of celery mixed with soil. Here, the earthiness complements the beans while also maintaining a slight brightness, and a textural crunch alongside the creamy, soft beans. A topping of tangy balsamic mushrooms rounds out the dish.