Ail des bois

Everything sounds better in french, no? Here is a test - would you rather eat an "ail des bois" or a "ramp" - yes that's an English word and yes it is a vegetable. A ramp is a type of spring onion - it looks like a mix between a mini leek and a scallion. Its quite flavorful too. This afternoon I had decided that I wanted to make scallops for dinner and since ramps are in season right now, I figured I'd use them in my simple scallops dinner...

Seared Scallops with White Wine & Ramps
Ingredients:
8 Sea Scallops (I figure ~6-8 per person - this recipe is for 1 person)
1/2 cup white wine
a bunch of ramps - chop up the white bulb-y part
a dab of butter

--> First step is to sear the scallops. Now I know making scallops can be a little daunting, but it's really easy! You are going to want to use a pretty hot saute pan - set your heat to medium-high. Make sure your scallops are dry - pat them good with a paper towel. Then add them to the well-sprayed pan and cook on each side for ~2-3 min (sprinkle with salt & pepper before and after flipping them in the pan). Take the scallops out of the pan and place on a plate when they are done. If you aren't sure, cut into one and see how easy it is to cut with a fork.

--> In the same pan, turn the heat to medium-low and add the ramps and butter. Saute for a min and then add the white wine - let reduce for another 1-2 min and then pour sauce over your scallops. Serve - it's delish.

I heart risotto

I'm ready for the CSA season to begin again, but I have another month to wait for some quality vegetables. In the meantime (and since multiple foreign object sightings in my lunches has led me to bring my lunch to work) I have resorted to purchasing produce at the local supermarket with all of my neighbors - sigh... Anyway, tonight we bought some lovely mushrooms and made some mushroom risotto - yummmmmm.



Mushroom Risotto:
Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable broth
EVOO
10 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
small box white mushrooms, chopped
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine
salt & pepper
fresh thyme
shredded Parmesan cheese

--> Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and then turn the heat to low to simmer.

--> Meantime, warm some EVOO in a pan and saute the mushrooms over medium heat. Cook until soft. Set aside.

--> In a separate pot, add some EVOO over medium heat and then stir in the shallot. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stir to coat with the olive oil - when the rice has turned golden-ish in color, add in the wine. Stir constantly until the wine is absorbed. Now time to start adding the warm broth 1/2 cup at a time. Stir continuously and wait to add each next ladle of broth until the liquid has been absorbed. You may not need to add all of the broth - taste towards the end for your ideal al dente.

--> Remove the cooked risotto from the heat and stir in mushrooms, salt, pepper, thyme and Parmesan cheese.

It's delicious :)