Ramp Dip

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Two different recipes for dip made from wild leeks / ramps. One with the fresh, hot kiss of ramp leaves, another with caramelized ramps in the style of caramelized onion dip in the recipe notes. Makes about 3 cups

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, Condiment

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cream cheese ramp dip, ramp dip recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 102kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 5

Equipment

Food processors
mixing bowl
Spatula
10 inch saute pan

Ingredients

12 oz ramp leaves separated
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
8 oz cream cheese or goat cheese
Pinch of cayenne pepper to taste
1-2 large jalapenos optional, pickled jalapenos or similar can be substituted
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 large lemon for zest and juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint, basil, cilantro, etc.

Instructions

Slice the ramps into 1 inch pieces. Bulbs should be sliced thinner, around ¼ inch thick.
In a food processor, blend the cream cheese and 2 oz of the ramp leaves (a handful) until smooth and bright green. For a stronger garlic flavor, add up to 4 oz of leaves total. Transfer the ramp cream cheese to the bowl with the cooked, cooled ramps, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Heat the butter in a ten inch pan and add 10 oz of the ramps, cover, cook on medium heat until wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring and seasoning with a pinch of salt. Transfer the ramps to a mixing bowl and cool.
Char the jalapenos over a gas burner until blackened on all sides. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and cool. Peel the jalapenos, cut them in half and slice off the stem, seeds and white pith. Cut the jalapenos into thin ¼ inch slices, then line them up and cut into ¼ inch dice.
Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning for salt, heat and lemon zest and juice. Stir, taste the mixture again and repeat the process until you like the flavor.
Transfer the ramp dip to a bowl and refrigerate before serving.
For a presentation as pictured, serve with a rich seed cracker or crisp bread, and garnish the dip with spring wild flowers.

Video

Notes

Caramelized Ramp Dip (Top the Tater)

Use the same proportions as above, but cook all of the ramps instead of pureeing some with the cheese. Taste it before you add the herbs as some may like it as-is. If you can get mature ramps with large bulbs it'll be even better than just leaves. Cook the ramps down slowly until they start to caramelize and their liquid has completely evaporated like you would make caramelized onions. The leaves should be well-cooked, sweet, and not bright green. I also like to add a pinch of cayenne to taste instead of the jalapeno, but it's optional.

Nutrition