Ramp and Basil Pistou
Last weekend was a blast. My wife and I (more so my wife) planted the vegetable and herb garden, and got all of our planting done. Not only that, but I was able to venture off and go on my first foraging adventure. I had signed up to go foraging for morel mushrooms with Braise restaurant some time ago, and I was really stoked to learn about mushrooms, and foraging in general. I was lucky enough to find three morels that weekend morning, along with a bunch of ramps, and violets. I donated the morels to the chef as he prepared a lunch after the hunt, but I did keep the ramps to be used in in pistou.
Pistou is much like a pesto, however pine nuts are not used, and well, I’m a big fan of that. I actually prefer a pistou over a pesto as I like it’s texture much better. Pistou’s can be used in salads, sandwiches, or pastas to name a few, and they can also be made with a variety of herbs, not just basil.
Let’s get started.
- 1 cup ramp leaves, loosely packed
- 1 cup of fresh Italian basil, leaves only
- 3 cloves garlic
- ~ 1 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp salt
Add the garlic, herbs, cheese, and salt to a food processor. Turn on and slowly start drizzling in the olive oil. Store in a sealed container until you are ready to use.
I used mine in a simple pasta dish by adding about 1/2 cup to one pound of cooked penne pasta. It was super awesome, and simple. Who doesn’t love that right?
The result is a sauce that had that subtle hint of onion and garlic, along with that great basil.
