Springtime pasta with ramps and peas

Ramps!

Focaccia with ramps from Hot Bread Kitchen

It's spring and the season for ramps! We have been gobbling up ramps on the menu at restaurants, getting them pretty much whenever they've been offered - flatbread with ramps at DBGB, ramps over bresaola at Franny's, a lamb burger with sauteed ramps and ramp mayo at Burger and Barrel, ravioli with ramps and lemon at The John Dory, and softshell crab, tagliatelle and a tasty cocktail with ramps at Roman's. I've also gotten some delicious focaccia from Hot Bread Kitchen (a great nonprofit group that works with low-income immigrant women to learn skills to launch their own business making breads and baked goods) with ramps and cheese, and bought a bit to cook from  our neighborhood farmers market too. 
This is an easy dish inspired by the most recent edition of Canal House - Volume 6 The Grocery Store - there, they toss mezzi rigatoni with peas and scallions and then top with ricotta cheese. Here, I cut back on the scallions and add a bunch of ramps to the mix! Get a good ricotta if you can, or make it yourself - see my recipe here. 

Springtime pasta with ramps and peas

• 1 lb. box mezzi rigatoni or pasta of your choice - penne would be an easy substitute here
• 1 lb. bag frozen peas, thawed, or similar weight of fresh peas if you prefer, blanched for a minute or two
• 2 small bunches of ramps, sliced into about 1/2" pieces
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 8 oz. (1 cup), or more if you like!, good fresh ricotta cheese
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbps. or more of butter, optional
• salt and pepper to taste
• good olive oil to drizzle on top
• Snipped chives to garnish, optional

Get your pasta water going and cook pasta to al dente, reserving a cup of pasta cooking water.

While your pasta is going, heat up the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.  Add your ramps and scallions with a good pinch of salt and pepper and saute until everything is just tender.  Add your peas and heat through.

Drain your pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Add pasta back to the pot with a little of the reserved pasta water,  about 2/3 of your ramp/scallion/pea mixture, butter and mix together well, adding a little more of the pasta water if needed.  Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to your liking. Pour out your pasta onto a big serving platter, or divide into individual portions, top with the ricotta and the reserved veggie mixture. Give it a little drizzle of good olive oil, a sprinkle of snipped chives and a little salt and pepper. You could probably also sub asparagus or other veggies for the peas - a great spring dish! And if you don't live in a part of the country where you can get ramps, increase the scallions and add a clove or two of chopped garlic.