Hello Spring! Potato Ramp Soup with Ramp Agrodolce. Creamy, dreamy and delicately infused with that lovely flavor that signals Spring, you may enjoy this soup hot or cold and it’s best made a day or two in advance as the flavor of the ramps really blooms! The recipe is a “first stab” and needs a bit of tweaking. Please see notes for guidance. I’ll add the updates as I go. In the meantime…

1st update: making this a day or two before you’d like to serve it allows the flavor of the ramps to really bloom!

2nd update: (this one I’m excited about) for a extra creamy and higher protein option which actually turns a big bowl of this soup into a delicious meal- using an immersion blender with the carafe likely included along with (or another 3-4 cup cylindric container), empty a 16 oz container of full or low-fat cottage cheese and blend until creamy and smooth. Add to your pot of soup for one creamy, delicious and nutritious option!!! I haven’t cooked up a new batch yet, but betting you may omit the chèvre and the crème fraiche and just go with the whipped and blended cottage cheese!

Potato Ramp soup

Makes 4-6 servings

2 large (about 1 1/2 lbs) Yukon style potatoes, peeled and chopped into equal sized chunks

1 bay leaf

2 oz ramps, about 21, cleaned with bottom half of bulb removed.

Large handful flat leaf parsley, stems intact

Garlic confit- the equivalent of a clove or two

2 oz chèvre

1 Tbs butter

2 cups stock, vegetable* or chicken or water

Kosher salt

Several turns fresh ground white pepper (I love @burlapandbarrel)

1/3 cup crème fraiche or full fat Greek yogurt

Squeeze of lemon juice, about 2 tsp and a pinch of zest

Ramp Agrodolce

Makes about 1/2 cup

1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 oz ramps

2 Tbs white raisins

1/2 jalapeño, seeds and veins removed

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 Tbs pistachios, pepitas or pine nuts

Add potatoes to a pot with the bay leaf and cover with cold, salted water by about 2”. Bring to a boil. Prepare an ice bath and dunk Ramos and parsley into boiling water for about 2 seconds and submerge in ice bath. R heat slightly, and cook potatoes until fork tender. Do not discard water. Remove bay leaf. Remove tough stems from parsley and coarsely chop greens.

Return potatoes to pot with one cup of your cooking liquid and 1 1/2 cups stock, garlic confit, ramps & parsley, chèvre, butter and white pepper. Purée with an immersion blender. I like to leave small flecks of green. Adjust seasoning. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat, adding more liquid if necessary. Stir in cream fresh or yogurt and serve. May also be served chilled.

A few notes:

*Packaged veggie stock tends to be a bit red in color from the addition of tomatoes. Please be aware this with dampen the final color of your soup.

*Leaving the stems intact on the parsley make them easier to dunk and blanch.

*I blanch the greens to softener them a touch and retain their bright green color. You may sauté them if you prefer.

*I do plan to develop a vegan version to stand alongside this for those who prefer to avoid dairy

*I am “allium challenged,” my stomach can’t tolerate them, especially when raw (if you know, you know). Prepping the ramps this way and in this quantity has been digestible for me.

*If you happen to have any leek confit amongst your leftovers ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, blend some in. It’s a delicious addition.