I may have mentioned a time or two how much I like ramps.  As it is now high ramp season, much of what I am cooking has a ramp component to it in one way or another. 

Ramps are not a very well known vegetable these days, so imagine my surprise when I was browsing through one of the latest books that a publisher had sent me for review and stumbled across a ramp recipe!  (I’ll link to the book review once I actually finish the review!)   Olives and Oranges: Recipes and Flavor Secrets from Italy, Spain, Cyprus, and Beyond actually had a recipe for White Bean Soup with Ramps, and it became pretty clear that  I was going to need to give it a try.

As spring can go in Wisconsin, it was inevitable that a cold, damp, dreary day would come along, and as soon as it did, I headed for the kitchen to make this soup.  In the end, it was perfect for the day – warming, filling, and flavorful.  While I veered away from the original recipe that was in the book, the spirit of the recipe remained.  What follows below is my rendition of White Bean Soup with Ramps.
Ingredients:

• 2  tablespoons Olive Oil
• 10 Ramp Bulbs, chopped, with greens saved
• 1 Carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 can cannelloni beans, drained
• More chicken stock, as needed
• Reserved Ramp greens, chopped
• 1 lb bulk Italian sausage, cooked to doneness
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Chives, chopped

In heavy stock pot, slowly sautee ramps, carrot, and celery in olive oil until softened.  Add garlic and sautee 2 minutes further.    Add potatoes and stir ingredients together.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add chicken stock, ensuring that potatoes are covered with liquid.  Bring pot to boil, then reduce and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.  Add cannelloni beans.  If needed add more stock to cover ingredients in pot.  Allow to simmer 30 more minutes.

With immersion blender, blend all ingredients in pot until smooth and creamy.  If you do not have an immersion blender, use a normal blender or food processor.  If soup is too thick, add more stock to desired consistency.   Add pre-cooked Italian Sausage,  stir.  Add reserved ramp greens and parmesan cheese, stir, and remove from heat.

Serve with chopped chives and grated parmesan cheese garnish.

Weisse Bohnen Eintopfen

A winter tradition in our kitchen is a German dish called Weisse Bohnen Eintopfen. This is translated to mean “White Bean One Pot Casserole”… or something like that, anyway. This translation describes this dish to a tee. A hearty one pot casserole, the main ingredients are white beans and smoked polish sausage, supported by carrots, tomatoes, celery and onion.

	Soak 1 cup of dried white beans in water overnight. Drain beans. Add 2 1/2 cups chicken stock to heavy pan containing drained beans. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer. Cover and cook until beans are soft, yet remain intact when stirred. Remove half the beans and a little liquid, and blend into a heavy sauce-like consistency. Add the blended mixture back into the pot of beans.
	This is the sort of dish that can be prepped all at once, in advance. Rustically chop one medium onion, 3 celery stalks, and 1/2 cup of parsley. Add it to one bowl. Chop 3 carrots and 1 large, seeded tomato and add to another bowl.
	Line the bottom of a heavy casserole dish with olive oil. Add the onion, celery and parsley to the pan. Lightly sautee, then cover the dish and sweat the vegetables on low heat for 10 minutes.
	Add beans to the casserole containing the onion mixture. Bring to boil. Add carrot and tomato mixture. Add 2 teaspoons garlic, a pinch of crushed caraway seed, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat. Simmer one hour.
	Chop 3 smoked polish sausage links into bite-sized slices. Add to bean mixture, cover, and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
Serve in deep bowls, with rye bread and cheese on the side.