Charred Ramps with Crispy Polenta, Chorizo, and Hot Honey
A celebration or ramps that works well as a side dish or appetizer.
Equipment
- 7x7 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 7x7 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.
Notes
**purchase hot honey or make by simmering 1 cup honey with 2 tbsp red chili flake or 5 halved red Thai bird chilies for 10 minutes and allowing to rest for 3 hours before straining**
**if you are serving creamy polenta, you will need to use more liquid. Cut the polenta cake recipe in half and increase the milk to 1.5 cups and the stock/water to 1.5 cups**