Ramp season in Southern Appalachia is near its end so I decided to make a nice large batch of pesto and let me tell you, this stuff really packs a punch and it's full of nutritional goodness! It's so incredibly easy to make... I'll give you a quick run through.
First I cleaned, roughly cut and blanched the ramps. Blanching the ramps instead of using them raw, keeps my pesto from oxidizing, turning brown and helps it lasts longer in my refrigerator.
Have I mentioned that green is my favorite color?
After dropping the ramps in boiling water, don't forget to cool them quickly in an ice bath, this stops the cooking process so you can preserve their nutritional value.
Once my greens are cooled, the rest is really simple. I can easily do it all in my Magic Bullet.
I added one raw clove of garlic, a handful of walnuts, some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a bit of Himalayan pink salt!
Honestly, that's all there is to it. I don't measure things, I wing it, I really don't know any other way to cook and prepare food except by taste.
Go ahead and follow me because later, I'm making spiralized zuchinni pasta with ramp pesto, battered and fried eggplant, garnished with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. It's what's for dinner!