Charred Ramps with Crispy Polenta, Chorizo, and Hot Honey
For a few weeks in early spring, ramps pop up in many parts of eastern North America. Ramps are a type of wild onion with a pungent, garlicky flavor. The leaves and bulbs are both edible and can be used in a number of different ways. Ramps resist cultivation, are only available to foragers for a limited time, and their appearance tends to mark the beginning of the spring produce cycle. For these reasons, chefs and food lovers tend to get VERY excited when ramps start hitting the markets. Because ramps are often over-foraged, I try to limit the number of times I prepare whole ramps in this way. It is more sustainable to only buy the green leaves from foragers who leave the bulbs in the ground so that the ramps can pop up again the following year.
While I love eating ramps, I am of the opinion that many chefs fail to prepare ramps in a way that truly celebrates their texture and flavor. I often see the ramps turned into a puree, or used to fill a pasta, or maybe 2 or 3 ramps are sauteed and artfully arranged on a plated entree of some sort. While these are all fine preparations and can be quite tasty, my favorite way to eat ramps is very simple. A big pile of them charred on a hot grill or a cast iron pan, seasoned simply with olive oil, salt, and a squeeze of lemon. This may be the purest way to enjoy them. The recipe I am showing you today is exactly that, but with a few added flavors and textures. The key is that you serve a generous quantity of ramps and that they are cooked and seasoned properly.
The combination of ramps, polenta, and honey was inspired by a dish I had at Via Carota in Manhattan a few years ago. If you haven’t been to Via Carota, I highly recommend it. My memory of the dish is a bit hazy but I remember a grilled polenta cake being served with a big pile of grilled ramps and drizzled with honey. It was absolutely delicious and I really loved how they were generous with the ramps. I’m not sure how they prepared their dish but this is my version with a few tweaks.
Polenta Cake
I decided to make a polenta cake flavored with parmesan, pecorino, thyme, and black pepper. Kind of cacio e pepe-ish. If you have never made a polenta cake, don’t worry, it’s really very simple and doesn’t take too much effort. If you can’t be bothered waiting a few hours for the polenta cake to set up in the freezer/fridge, you can most certainly make this dish with creamy polenta, just use more liquid when cooking the polenta.
Grill vs Cast Iron
In this recipe, I used a cast iron pan to sear the polenta cake and cook the ramps and chorizo together. If you wanted, you could also use a hot grill to cook the polenta and ramps. The chorizo would need to be crisped up separately in a pan, omitted, or switched out for another cured pork product that can be crisped on a grill such as bacon or prosciutto. Whatever cooking method you choose for the ramps, make sure that they are cooked quickly over high heat. If you leave the ramps cooking for too long, the leaves will start to dry out and become papery.
Round out your spread:
- Roasted Pepper Crostini with Garlic Confit, Burrata, and Basil
- Simple Chicken Liver Mousse
- Salt Cod Brandade
- Grilled Calamari and White Bean Salad
- Steamed Littleneck Clams with Chorizo, Garlic, and White Wine
Charred Ramps with Crispy Polenta, Chorizo, and Hot Honey
Equipment
- 7×7 square cake pan or some other container used to set the polenta cake
- 3-4 quart heavy-bottomed pot
- 12"-14" skillet or a grill
Ingredients
Parmesan Polenta Cake (yields about 4 cakes)
- 1 cup dry polenta (avoid instant polenta)
- 2 cups chicken stock or water
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1.5 oz grated parmesan (or a blend of pecorino and parmesan)
- 2-3 tsp kosher salt (to taste)
- 6-8 grinds freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Assembling the dish (for 1 polenta cake which feeds 2-4 people as a side dish or appetizer)
- 6 oz whole ramps (about 25 ramps)
- 1 oz dry spanish chorizo
- 1/2 lemon
- 1-2 tbsp hot honey **see note**
- 1-2 tbsp grated parmesan to garnish
- neutral flavored cooking oil (canola, vegetable, corn….etc)
Instructions
Parmesan Polenta Cake (yields about 4 cakes)
- Whisk together 2 cups milk, 2 cups chicken stock (or water), 1 bay leaf, and 1 cup polenta in a heavy-bottomed pot. These photos show me making a double batch of polenta cakes, your batch will look smaller. **If you are serving creamy polenta see 2nd note below**
- Turn the heat to high and whisk continuously until the liquids come to a simmer. The polenta should start to thicken once simmering. After the polenta starts to simmer, turn the heat down to low and season with 2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste. Note that you will be adding salty cheese later so you may want to slightly under-season at this point.
- Put a lid on the pot and allow the polenta to cook at a gentle simmer on low or medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Check the polenta every 5-10 minutes while it is cooking and scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure the polenta does not scorch.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf and add1.5 oz grated parmesan, 1 tsp chopped thyme, and 6-8 grinds of black pepper. stir everything together. Adjust seasoning if necessary
- Polenta should be thick, not loose or runny.
- Line a 7" x 7" square pan with plastic wrap. Leave extra plastic wrap overhanging so you can fold it on top of the polenta cake. If you dont have a 7×7 pan, you can use almost any other container to form the polenta cake, just try to make it so that the polenta is not more than 1" thick when you pour it in. ( In the photo I am using a 10" x 12" pan because I am making a double batch)
- Pour the hot polenta into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Fold the excess plastic wrap on top of the polenta. Use additional plastic wrap if necessary to totally cover the top of the polenta cake. Press and smooth the top of the polenta cake after covering. Place the polenta cake in the refrigerator for 6 hours or in the freezer for 2 hours if you are in a rush.
- After polenta has cooled, it should have firmed up and should easily pop out of the pan.
- Cut the polenta into 4 squares and keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. The following recipe will only use one polenta cake and will feed 2-4 people as an appetizer or side dish. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. Polenta cakes go very well with fried eggs and hot sauce for breakfast.
Assembling the dish (for 1 polenta cake which feeds 2-4 people as a side dish or appetizer)
- Cut the dry chorizo in half lengthwise and then into 1/8" thick slices. Set aside.
- Remove the roots from the ramps
- If the ramp bulbs are particularly big (larger than 1/3" in diameter), cut them in half as shown to allow them to cook faster.
- Wash the ramps to remove excess dirt and shake them dry. Use your hands to rub the bulbs and leaves with a very thin layer of cooking oil. Season the leaves and bulbs evenly with salt. You can apply a bit more salt to the bulbs than the leaves. Try to keep the ramps all facing the same direction so the bulbs are all on one side. Set aside
- Heat a cast-iron or nonstick pan over medium heat, apply a bit of cooking oil and cook the polenta cake for about 5 minutes on one side until golden-brown and crisp.
- Flip the polenta cake over and cook on the other side for about 5 more minutes until golden-brown and crisp. Remove from pan and set on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Heat up a large cast-iron pan or skillet over very high heat. Add a thin layer of cooking oil to the bottom of the pan.
- When the oil begins to smoke, spread the ramps out into the hot pan and use a spatula to constantly press on the ramp bulbs so that they come into contact with the pan. Cook over high heat for about 1-2 minutes or until the leaves have started to char but are not drying out.
- Flip the ramps over and add the chorizo to the pan. Press on the ramp bulbs again and cook everything for about 1 more minute.
- When the ramps are wilted, slightly charred and the bulbs have softened, turn off the heat and squeeze 1-2 tbsp of lemon juice over the ramps. Remove the ramps and chorizo from the pan.
- Put the polenta cake in the center of a plate and then put the pile of ramps and chorizo on top. Drizzle everything with 1-2 Tbsp of hot honey and sprinkle 1-2 tbsp of grated parmesan on top to garnish. Serve warm.
