• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Subscribe
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

Finding the Forgotten Feast

  • Shop
  • Video Course
  • Stories
  • About
    • Public Events
    • Privacy Policy
  • Wild Game
    • Venison Recipes
    • Duck Recipes and Goose Recipes
    • Rabbits, Hares and Squirrels
    • Pheasants, Turkey, Quail
    • Dove Recipes
    • Wild Pig and Bear Recipes
    • My Best Taco Recipes
    • Wild Game Sauces
  • Charcuterie
    • Homemade Sausage Recipes
    • Smoker Recipes
    • Bacon, Jerky, Hams, etc
    • Salami Recipes
    • Confit, Pate, Terrines
  • Fish
    • General Fish Recipes
    • Salmon Recipes
    • Snapper Recipes
    • Crabs, Shellfish and Squid
    • Little Fish and Oddballs
  • Gathering
    • Preservation Recipes
    • Mushrooms
    • Sweet Things
    • Wild Greens and Herbs
    • Acorns, Nuts, Starches
  • Podcast
Home » Foraging » Ramp Pesto

Ramp Pesto

By Hank Shaw on May 20, 2015, Updated June 17, 2020 - 18 Comments

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Comment
4.93 from 14 votes
ramp pesto recipe
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Ramps right out of the woods.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Pesto can be made from really anything: We’ve all seen pesto made with basil of course, but you can also use mint, parsley, cilantro and other herbs. In this case I am making ramp pesto, although you can use other green onions, wild or cultivated.

When I make pesto I want it to last a while in the fridge, so I blanch the greens first. You don’t have to do this, but blanching your green things goes a long way to preventing the dreaded “brown pesto” problem we all face with unused pesto. Blanching kills the enzymes that cause browning.

Here’s how I blanch my green onions for this recipe:

  • You will need two or three big handfuls of fresh ramp leaves, about 2 cups, chopped more or less — only you’re not chopping them yet. Get a huge pot of water boiling and add a handful of salt.
  • Toss the ramp leaves into the boiling water. Stir around and boil for 30 to 45 seconds.
  • Fish them out with a skimmer or the tongs and immediately dump them into a big bowl with ice water in it. Once they are cool, put them in a colander to strain.
  • Get a cloth towel, like a tea towel, and put the ramps in it. Wrap one end of the towel one way, then the other end of the towel the other and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
ramp pesto recipe in a bowl
Photo by Hank Shaw

My favorite way to use this pesto is with pasta, especially nettle pasta or the easy-to-make pasta shape called gnocchi ricci. It’s also good spread on toast, or with white meats like chicken or pheasant, or with firm fish such as sturgeon, swordfish or tuna. Play around with it. you’ll find what suits you best.

Store any unused ramp pesto in the fridge, topped with some olive oil to keep the air out. It’ll keep this way for a week or so.

ramp pesto recipe
Print Recipe
4.93 from 14 votes

Ramp Pesto

Any green onion, wild or cultivated, works with this recipe. I've done it with ramp leaves as well as the leaves from Sierra Nevada wild onions, chives, garden-variety scallions and whole three-cornered leeks. If you don't like pine nuts, pecans, walnuts and almonds are fine, too. If you've never toasted nuts before, put them in a steel pan over medium-high heat. Shake the pan frequently so you don't burn the nuts; pine nuts are especially persnickety this way. Pour the nuts out of the hot pan when they get a little brown on the edges.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 min
Total Time16 mins
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 56kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds
  • 3 tablespoons grated cheese, such as pecorino
  • 2 cups ramp or other wild onion leaves, about 2 dozen
  • Salt to taste
  • About 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

  • f you are blanching your onions, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add enough salt to make it taste like the sea. Set a large bowl of ice water nearby. Plunge the ramp leaves into the boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and quickly cool them down in the ice water. Squeeze dry with a tea cloth or paper towels.
  • Chop the ramp leaves and set aside. Pesto is best made with a mortar and pestle, thus the name, which means "pound." You can of course make this in a food processor, but it will not be the same. To start, add the toasted pine nuts and garlic and crush them.
  • Add the cheese and ramps and commence pounding. Mash everything together, stirring with the pestle and mashing well so it is all fairly uniform.
  • Start adding olive oil. How much? Depends on how you are using your pesto. If you are making a spread, maybe 1/4 cup. If a pasta sauce, double that. Either way, you add 1 tablespoon at a time, pounding and stirring to incorporate it. When it's a nice rough paste, taste it and add salt if you need to; sometimes the cheese makes the pesto salty enough by itself. Serve as a spread on bread, as an additive to a minestrone, as a pasta sauce or as a dollop on fish or poultry.

Notes

If you are using a food processor, add everything but the oil and pulse to combine. Then, turn the motor on the processor and drizzle in the olive oil. Be careful not to let the mixture become a smooth paste!

Nutrition

Calories: 56kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 20mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 410IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @HuntGatherCook or tag #HankShaw!

Thanks for Sharing This!

1.0K shares

Filed Under: Featured, Foraging, Italian, Recipe

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar for Jake GJake G says

    March 24, 2022 at 10:49 am

    Just like many other recipes from Hank Shaw, this one is a winner. I make a big batch every spring and freeze in ice cube trays for single serving portions to use throughout the year.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for Rick MorinRick Morin says

    May 15, 2020 at 11:29 am

    Excellent simple recipe. Lasted a week for me even without blanching. Tasted great on Pizza as well as pasta.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for jim haddadjim haddad says

    May 9, 2020 at 9:04 am

    picked some last night before the snow fall, made this recipe this morning before i brew. this is the best pesto i’ve ever had. glad i doubled it!!

    Reply
    • Avatar for Shirley CowlingShirley Cowling says

      May 4, 2021 at 4:33 pm

      Dug up the leeks yesterday, let them rest on the barn floor today to dry the dirt, cleaned and cliped the leaves and make this pesto.I used roasted garlic infused olive oil and colliers welsh cheese, came together well.

      Reply
  4. Avatar for RoyRoy says

    April 28, 2020 at 10:45 am

    Got enough ramps this week to finally try this recipe. Good stuff. I’m sure my wife and kids will be asking for it again this time next year!

    Reply
  5. Avatar for SPCSPC says

    April 28, 2019 at 5:49 pm

    Friend gave me a bag-full (3,4 lbs?) of Ramps they’d ‘harvested’ out of their woods a few days ago. I used your Pesto recipe for dinner, wife and I enjoyed it over spaghetti greatly! Thanks!
    AND there’s plenty left over for other uses this next week!

    Reply
  6. Avatar for Carol NUTTLECarol NUTTLE says

    April 28, 2019 at 11:53 am

    We used ramp bulbs instead of garlic. Delicious.

    Reply
  7. Avatar for Danny Michael SextonDanny Michael Sexton says

    April 22, 2018 at 9:09 am

    I pickle the bulbs, make pesto with the leaves, also roll some tuna salad or bluegill salad

    Reply
  8. Avatar for HeatherHeather says

    May 12, 2017 at 7:17 am

    This was delicious on toast with a little cheddar cheese, also great on eggs!

    Reply
  9. Avatar for Darrah L CloudDarrah L Cloud says

    May 9, 2017 at 10:15 am

    Your photo is of ramps picked incorrectly, which kills the plants–they will not grow again in that spot. Just pick the leaves and leave the bulb in the ground.

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      May 9, 2017 at 10:37 am

      Darrah: There is no correct or incorrect way to pick ramps. There is absolutely nothing wrong with picking bulbs from a spot if you do so sustainably. Overharvest is the problem. There is a difference.

      Reply
      • Avatar for Greg R.Greg R. says

        May 4, 2020 at 12:02 pm

        Hank,
        Sustainable foriaging is the key to years of enjoyment so you are correct. Thank you for the recipes.
        Greg

  10. Avatar for Richard P.Richard P. says

    May 1, 2017 at 9:15 am

    Love this recipe. I usually pickle or pan fry the ramp bulbs and this makes great use of all those ramp greens I have leftover. Despite the online cautions of canning pesto, I’ve always pressure canned my extra pesto. It loses some of the bright green color of a fresh made batch but it still tastes amazing long after its canned.

    Reply
  11. Avatar for Paula YoumellPaula Youmell says

    May 12, 2016 at 6:17 pm

    Next time you make it (hurry, when the trees leaf out the wild leeks say goodbye quickly) add sauteed stinging nettle tops to the pesto. Very yummy mixed with leeks.

    Reply
  12. Avatar for CarolynCarolyn says

    April 24, 2016 at 3:01 pm

    Love this recipe ? It was delicious. Thank you hank

    Reply
  13. Avatar for JoeJoe says

    June 21, 2015 at 8:00 am

    I totally agree with the blanching suggestion, a trick I learned from my Grandmother who lives in Greenbrier county WV, (where they still send children home from school if they’ve eaten ramps the previous evening). I’ve made this version a few times and is a wonderful way to eat ramps but I admit I don’t always blanch them. Black Walnuts can add an earthy taste and smoked almonds are equally wonderful. As an accompanyment to morels and/or fresh trout this is a celebration of spring in the Appalchians.

    Reply
  14. Avatar for Coco in the KitchenCoco in the Kitchen says

    May 27, 2015 at 4:48 pm

    We adore pesto and often make it fresh at home, but I’ve never thought to put anything oniony other than garlic into mine.
    I’ll look for ramps at our farmers’ market, but may run to the store for scallions tonight just for a test run.

    Reply
  15. Avatar for CarolynCarolyn says

    May 20, 2015 at 6:05 am

    I just made this the other day, and it’s absolutely fantastic!

    And great tip about blanching – blanching not only helps maintain the green color of this pesto, but it also seems to mitigate the “ramps are so strong that I have ramp breath and I’m sweating ramp-scented sweat for days” effect, too.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

More about Hank...

Featured Recipes

Closeup of sliced, smoked venison backstrap on a platter
Venison 101: How to Cook Venison
pickled pike recipe
Pickled Pike
Slices of smoked venison roast on a cutting board.
Smoked Venison Roast
Conejo en adobo on a plate
Conejo en Adobo
A platter of fried walleye with lemon.
Fried Walleye
A plate of pine nut cookies.
Pine Nut Cookies

As Seen In

As seen on CNN, New York Times, Simply Recipes, Martha Stewart, Food and Wine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and The Splendid Table

Never Miss a Recipe

Receive recipes direct to your inbox.

 

 

Back to Top
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Video Course
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Stories
  • Wild Game
  • Charcuterie
  • Fish
  • Gathering
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

© 2023 Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, All Rights Reserved.

Site built by: Site by Status Forward

1.0K shares
  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • 603Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Save
  • Email
1.0K shares
  • 603