Pickled Ramps Escabeche (Puerto Rican Style Picked Ramps)

I was 20 minutes late to meet a friend for lunch last week. We've been friends since college, so he knew well enough to order a cocktail to sip until I arrived.

"Oooh, what's that?" I asked as I finally arrived, tossing off bags and sunglasses and waving the waitress over to put in my own drink order.

It was a martini. Served cold and garnished with pickled ramps instead of the usual olives.

"I've been all about the pickled ramps lately!" I exclaimed.

I know ramps are an annoying sort of thing to write about. They only grow in some parts of the country and even then only for about 5 minutes (give or take). But when you try them? You get it.  The look and texture of a scallion or spring onion, they're garlicky and grassy and majorly flavorful. I like them whipped into salad dressings or chopped in with the greens. I saute them and add to omelets and pastas and all sorts of other simple dishes.

This year was the first time I pickled them, and I chose an easy recipe by Puerto Rican chef José Enrique, who prepares them escabeche style.

Escabeche is a simple olive oil and vinegar pickling sauce that's served a lot in Puerto Rico (and much of the Caribbean). It's common with fish, plantains, and now...ramps!

Make a big batch to keep in a jar in the fridge. You can add them to your salads, as a garnish on top of grilled meat or, yes, in an ice-cold martini!

Like this recipe? Try my Easy Soy Sauce Vegetable Pickles or these Quick Pickled Red Onions!

Puerto Rican Style Pickled Ramps
Adapted from a recipe by Jose Enrique, Saveur

Ingredients
1 pound ramps, rinsed and patted dry, root ends trimmed
1/2 cup olive oil + more for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
3 whole bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns


Directions
Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat (cast-iron works perfectly). Drizzle with olive oil and arrange the ramps on the skillet, cooking a few minutes on each side until charred. Sprinkle with kosher salt, then transfer to a glass jar or bowl.

In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, vinegar, honey, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour the hot vinegar sauce over the ramps. Cover and let cool completely before serving or refrigerating. 

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Easy & Quick Pickled Red Onions

At dinner the other night, Eugene asked me why we don't just always keep a jar of pickled red onions in the fridge since he would "eat them on everything."

I explained that we don't keep a jar of them in the fridge because he does eat them on everything and therefore I can never keep the jar full for more than a day or two.

This recipe takes just about 20 minutes and keeps well in the fridge for weeks (ostensibly--I've never actually had the chance to test that). It's so quick that I'll regularly get the urge to make them once I already have the rest of the meal ready and will pop over to the kitchen to whip up a batch. A mandoline makes quick work of thinly slicing the red onions, but a knife works just as well. I leave all the spices in the jar as they continue to infuse and flavor the onions.

Oh and want to learn how to make your onions super bright red? Add a diced red beet to the pickling liquid. That's how I made the ones in this photo:

These are great on top of pulled beef or pork tacos, served on top of steak, on burgers, or with traditional Puerto Rican dishes like pernil, boiled yuca, or arroz con gandules. I also love these with pan-fried tilapia or grilled shrimp.

Like Eugene said, it's literally good on EVERYTHING.

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Quick Pickled Red Onions Recipe
Makes 6-8 servings (as a garnish)

Ingredients
1 cup white or apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup filtered water
2 bay leaves
7 whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 large red onions, peeled and thinly sliced into rings or half moons

Directions
Combine vinegar, sugar, water, bay leaves, cloves, and peppercorns in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the onion slices  and stir to coat with liquid. Lower heat and let simmer gently for 15 minutes then remove from heat and let cool completely. Transfer to a jar along with the liquid and seasonings. Can be used immediately or stored in jar in the fridge for about 1 month. 

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Soy Sauce Vegetable Pickles

I mentioned recently that I've been playing around at home with Banh Mi style sandwiches. I gave you the recipe for the spicy chicken that I like to use in these, and now I'm going to share with you an easy way to make the homemade pickled carrots and pickled mushrooms that give this sandwich that tangy crunch. 

These pickles would also make a great addition to burgers or bbq pulled pork sandwiches; you can even add them to noodle soups!

The recipe is super quick and you can actually use the same batch of brine to make both the carrots and the mushrooms. This would also work with other vegetables like turnips, radishes, and parsnips, so feel free to improvise.

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New to Always Order Dessert? Consider subscribing to my RSS feed, follow me on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or sign up to receive my once-a-week e-mail updates by filling in your address in the box on the right. And if you ever need any entertaining or cooking advice, please don't hesitate to e-mail me. Thanks for reading!

Soy Sauce Vegetable Pickles
Adapted from Momofuku by David Chang

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup red wine or white vinegar
2 cups water
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 2-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled
2 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced into even sized pieces (such as shitake, oyster, trumpet, baby bella, etc.; can also use 2 cups julienned carrots, radishes, turnips, or parsnips.)

Combine the sugar, vinegar, water, soy sauce, and peeled ginger in a large, heavy pot. Add the sliced mushrooms and turn the heat to medium. Let simmer for 30 minutes, then let cool to room temperature in the pot.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mushrooms to a clean glass jar and top off with just enough of the pickling liquid to cover them. Cover and refrigerate. Will keep for at least 1 month. Brine can be immediately reused to pickle another batch of vegetables such as carrots, turnips, etc.

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