Ramp Pasta with Fava Beans

Dinner 4/30

Ramp Pasta with Fava Beans

Back to the test kitchen for another flavored pasta, this time with our favorite springtime vegetable, ramps!

We started off by grilling the stems and leaves brushed with a mix of olive oil and tamari...



The ramps were chopped up (about a 1/3 cup) and then pureed in the vita-mix along with 2 tbs. of water and 1/4 cup of soy sour cream -- this was to give the vita-mix enough volume to break the ramps down. The wet ingredients were added to 1 1/4 cups of flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbs. egg replacer and kneaded into a dough on a lightly floured surface for 5-7 minutes until the dough became smooth. We wrapped the dough in plastic and put it in the fridge until dinner time.



Liz rolled the dough out and let it rest for a few minutes, then finished rolling it out to about 1/8" thick. Then, using a pizza wheel, the dough was cut into fettuccine-size noodles.



The noodles were dropped in a pot of boiling, salted water until they floated to the top, about 2 minutes. They were drained and immediately dropped into the saute pan.



Normally, the sauce would start with shallots and garlic, but we really wanted the ramp flavor to be the focal point, so we kept the sauce simple -- 1/4 cup white wine, reduced by half, then add 2 tbs. Earth Balance, 1 tbs. nutritional yeast and salt & pepper to taste. The sauce was heated through long enough that the nutritional yeast got a little browned, which added a nice toasted note.

The dish was topped by another springtime favorite, Fava Beans.

The end result was fantastic -- the ramps were the star of the dish, and really shone through. The fava beans added a nice textural & flavor compliment.

Tags: ramps, fava beans, pasta, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666