Ramp Omelet a Shoutout to Spring
Plus, reminder about today's Naturally Chicago regenerative webinar
In This Issue
• Reminder: Naturally Chicago’s Regenerative Ag Webinar is Today at 3
• A Ramp Omelet to Summon Spring Temperatures
We’re Getting There
Daffodils near the corner of Sheridan and Belmont in Lakeview Saturday. The chilly start to spring has kept us mostly in brown tones, but the colors pop a bit more every day. With forecast temperatures in the 60s and (dare we hope?) 70s later this week, it should be a much prettier picture very soon.
Today’s Webinar: Mainstreaming of Regenerative
Don't miss Naturally Chicago’s free webinar today at 3 p.m. central featuring companies that are sourcing ingredients produced with regenerative farming practices.
Hear from Katlin Smith of Simple Mills, Gina Asoudegan of Applegate and Corwin Heatwole of Farmer Focus. They will be joined on the panel by Elizabeth Candelario of Mad Agriculture (a company that helps farmers transition to regenerative agriculture) and Kellee James of Mercaris, an organic ag data service.
Jim Slama, Naturally Chicago’s Managing Director, will moderate the webinar, which is sponsored by The Food Institute. This webinar is part of Naturally Network’s EARTHWEEK 2022 programming.
Click the button below to register.
Cook This: Ramp Omelet is Shoutout to Spring
The arrival of ramps — the wild onion with a cult following and historic connection to Chicago — was the highlight of my visit to Green City Market Saturday. Because ramps are pretty delicate and they are in season for a hot minute, I jumped right in and made a ramp omelet Sunday morning.
I’ve promised to do more cooking and product use tips this season, but the format will be more to give you ideas rather than exact directions. If you’re not already a scratch cook, be not afraid. You are cooking for you, not me, and you can design your own recipe to best suit your taste.
This omelet is a bit on the fancy side. Along with ramps (from Ellis Family Farms in Benton Harbor, Michigan), I used some black pearl oyster mushroom that I bought Saturday from Froggy Meadow Farm (Beloit, Wisconsin), store-bought bell pepper, local basil and some pre-cooked (amazingly sweet) spinach from Froggy Meadow.
Here’s the mise en place (fancy-schmancy French for food prep). Yes, you may compliment me on my knife skills.
I then sautéed the veggies in a little butter, in this sequence: ramps, peppers, mushrooms, basil and spinach (though it doesn’t matter a lot since all the ingredients cook quickly… you could probably dump them all in the pan together).
Remove the veggies to a bowl. Beat two eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper then add to the pan. As the eggs begin to set, carefully lift edges and tilt the pan to enable the liquid part to cook.
When the eggs were nearly finished, I added the cooked vegetables, slightly to one side of center, and added some of Miyoko’s Creamery’s Classic Chive Double Cream spreadable cashew milk cheese. No, I haven’t suddenly gone completely plant-based, but I love Miyoko’s products. Also, soft cheese melts faster and helps keep the omelet from overcooking.
The finished product, with a bagel from Flat and Point purchased at Green City Market topped with a smear of that Miyoko’s spread and some smoked salmon. My reward for a long work week. I cut the omelet in half so you can see some of that good stuff inside.
One final tip: I poured the raw eggs into the same pan in which I cooked the vegetables, which is why it’s brown on the outside. If you want a more delicate, French-style omelet, cook the eggs in a separate, fresh pan and then add the fillings.
Have some great ideas for making the best of ramp season? Please share at bob@localfoodforum.com or in the comments.