When I spotted the first ramps of the season at the Co-op last week, I thought of those summer pizzas and bought two large bags. After trimming the ends and soaking them for a bit, I whizzed the greens into pesto, and submerged the bulbs into brine. The pesto has made its way into everything we’ve been eating — sandwiches, pasta, and this pizza, where it has been thinned with a little more olive oil and vinegar to allow for easy brushing. Here, while the pizza isn’t baked completely naked, the process is similar: scatter burrata (or mozzarella or ricotta) lightly across dough, drizzle it with olive oil and bake it until bubbling. Immediately upon pulling it from the oven, brush it with a thinned-out ramp pesto and a sprinkling of sea salt. Withholding the pesto from the pizza until it’s out of the oven preserves not only its sharp, punchy flavor but also its vibrant green color. This pesto and pizza (and pasta and pickle, see below) are delicious, but one bite of the raw, sweet greens upon returning from the store with them reminded me why everyone goes crazy for ramps this time of year. How have you all been cooking them? I’m going to try using the greens in this favorite spring chicken recipe this weekend. Happy Friday, Everyone. Lahey dough: To pickle the ramp bulbs: Make sure the bulbs are clean: let them soak in water for 5 minutes or so, or rinse them under cold water. Peel away any slimy outer layers. Place the bulbs in a clean glass jar. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon sugar to a boil, and simmer for one minute or until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns. Pour the hot liquid including the peppercorns over the ramps. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. This is the same method, essentially, I used for the pickled watermelon radishes. What else to do with the pesto? Pasta. Boil pasta with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Thin pesto out with a little bit of the pasta cooking liquid before tossing with pasta. Add more parmesan if desired. Ramp pesto and pickled ramp sandwich with burrata — too much? Perhaps. No reviews Ramps hardly feel like a find anymore, but if you can’t find ramps, use basil or a mix of herbs: parsley, tarragon, chives, etc. Burrata is now available at most big grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, use fresh mozzarella or ricotta instead. I use half of one ball per pizza. My favorite tool for making great pizza at home is the Baking Steel.
