Ramps Soup

Ramps soup with shitakes and daikon are clearly not the product of the Italian American Kitchen. Nonetheless, the wildness of the ramps and the savory quality of the mushrooms and radish hint at the woodsy flavors that the traveler to rustic Italy would find in local dishes. Ramps, also called rampion, a rare green, relative of the leek and found only in the Spring. I had never had them before and knew of no recipes for them. The only association I could make was with the fairy tale, Rapunzel, a name that in a certain province of Germany means rampion.

If you remember the story, Rapunzel's mother, during her pregnancy, craved the rampion growing in the witch’s garden and sent her husband to gather it for her. When the witch caught she forced him to turn the child to be born over to her when the child reached the age of twelve. The story goes on from there. But when I did some googling on rampion in Europe and rampion in America I found that they are two distinct species. The European ramp or rampion is a member of the campanula family and has a tuberous root. The American ramp is a member of the allium family and has the typical onion bulb.

European rampion

American ramps

I also learned that in quite a few parts of the US, particularly around the Ohio, West Virginia region, there are places that hold annual ramp festivals.

Having explored countless sites it seems that ramps turn up primarily either in some kind of sauté or as an addition to scrambled eggs. Some proposed a soup with a potato base that was something of a cross between a French Potage Parmentier and a Portuguese Caldo Verde. A few sites showed them as pickled and preserved in a way that very much resembles a Korean kimchee. As I wavered between working with the ramps in the potato soup style and curing them in the Korean style, a new idea struck me. Why not go with the idea of a soup but a soup with something of a lighter Asian feel, without the use of the potatoes, perhaps a soup closer to the Vietnamese style. What I settled on was a clear chicken stock soup base with shitake mushrooms (in place of the heavy potatoes), shreds daikon radish and of course the ramps. The result is indeed very light with the full oniony taste of the ramps. As a garnish I followed the Vietnamese practice of adding a few sprigs of mint leaves and a wedge of lime. Thai basil would also be a great addition to the mint and lime if you can find it in your area. If you want a bit more substance simply add some cooked rice, or as I have done here, some Asian clear rice noodles. If you use the very fine noodles you add them to the bowl and pour the soup over them. You may find that they are packaged for just that purpose. Each little nest of noodles is tied with a string. Be sure to cut the string before pouring the soup.

Getting Started
What you need

Equipment
Large soup pot
Sauté pan
Sharp knife
Vegetable peeler
Tongs

Ingredients

Chicken parts for stock (I use back and thighs)
Large bunch of ramps
Good size bunch of shitake mushrooms
Daikon radish

Optional garnish
Mint leaves
Lime
Thai basil

Chicken stock

Boil the chicken parts in about three quarts of water.
After about 45 minutes, remove the chicken.
Skim any foam from the top of the broth.
While the chicken is boiling prepare the rest.