"Ramped-Up" Corn

On the first day of spring this year I released my first in a series of seasonal e-book "This Spring".

It's a complete collection of all the spring-related content from my site in an easy to read e-book format.

Each year I plan on expanding the book with new content. I look for areas in which I think I am missing something and plan ahead so that next year I will have an even better book.

In the first release of "This Spring" I talked about one of my favorite spring time delicacies - the Ramp. The flavor of the ramp has hints of garlic and onion. Read all about it in my anatomy of a ramp post. For this recipe I decided to pair ramps with another vegetable that makes its re-appearance around the same time - fresh corn on the cob.

One of the issues with corn on the cob in the spring is that you cannot count on it to be consistently sweet. Here in Michigan we get our corn from Florida and Georgia. That can be a ways to travel for a vegetable that converts it's sugar to starch. Sometimes you luck out and find a sweet ear and some times you don't. So I like to take out some "insurance" by stripping the kernels from the cob and sauteing the corn in butter. The advantage this gives you over steaming is that the corn will caramelize in the pan, allowing any sugar in the corn to be brought out.

Overhead view of sauteing ramps. You just want to do this until they begin to take on a little color, before adding in your corn.[/caption]

The flavor of the ramps goes beautifully when paired with the sweet corn. I use the bulbs of the ramps at the start. Chop them and sautee them just like you would garlic. Corn goes in. Leaves of the ramps are chopped in and throw in right at the end of cooking. The heat will wilt the leaves like spinach.

"Ramped-Up" Corn

The perfect way to make unpredictable spring time corn into a delicious side dish.

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Author: Eric Samuelson

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of ramps usually 6 to 8 ramps depending on size,
• 5 ears of corn with the kernels stripped from the cob
• 3 tablespoons butter
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat up a fry pan over medium heat. Add butter
• Chop the bulbs off the ramps. Set the leaves aside.
• Add ramp bulbs cooking until they take on some color, about 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the corn kernels. Stir to combine.
• Cook until the kernels are soft and start to shrink.
• While waiting chop up the leaves of the ramps.
• Remove from the heat and add in the leaves.
• Stir to combine.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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