Things to do with Ramps, Part 4: Make hummus. Yes, still stuck on my ramps (ransoms, Bärlauch) kick and here is a quick and simple recipe that pulls out some of the suble garlicy flavor of the ramps. The grilled lemons add both acidity and sweetness. Comes together in 2-30 minutes and is a great addition to the usual pia chips or veggies. Note: I grilled the whole ramps but then only used the bulbs in the hummus, eating the greens on the side. You can use the whole ramps (bulbs and greens) in the hummus, but when I made it like that the first time, I thought that the greens actually made the hummus too green.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 large lemons, cut in half
8-10 ramps, bulbs and greens
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo chili flakes
Directions
Clean ramps thoroughly and remove root, keeping as much of the bulb as you can. In a work bowl, toss the ramps with a tablespoon of olive oil. Heat your grill to moderately hot. Note that you can do this on an actual outdoor grill, but you will need a veggie grilling basket as the ramps will fall through, or you can do like I did and use a grill pan on the stove. Grill the ramps until the greens wilt and the bulb ends get a little color. Remove to a cutting board, sprinkle with a smidge of salt and allow to cool. Place the lemons, cut side down on the grill as well and sear for a few minutes to caramelize the juices. They are done when a little soft and have some nice char marks. Also let cool.
Separate the greens from the bulbs of the ramps. You can actually use all of the greens and bulbs in the hummus, but I think that the color of the final product is off-putting, so only use the bulbs and part of the greens, reserving the remainder to eat along side the hummus.
Place chickpeas, grilled ramp bulbs and tahini in a food processor and process until you have a coarse mixture. Juice and add the lemon juice to the mixture process until smooth. Season with salt and chili flakes. If it looks a little dry, add a little more water and blend again. Taste and re-season as necessary.
To serve, simply place in a bowl, drizzle with remaining olive oil, a few more chili flakes and the grilled ramp greens. Serve with pita or veggies.
