All posts by Marlena Spieler

not only do i live in the middle of a blackberry forest, come august, in springtime it is a nettle woods, and when spring segues into early summer, its a forest of wild garlic, ramps, or l’ail d’ours–bear garlic: leaves of glossy lush green-ness that exhudes the aroma of garlic, of strong green leafy garlickness. Bear garlic, aka ramps, or wild garlic, is not for the culinary faint of heart. Its not even garlic, despite its name: bear garlic is a wild leek, wild garlic is in my forest too, and i might do a posting of it before the season ends…..it looks different, with thin stems, and smells more garlicky and strangely more delicate. Ramps, bear garlic, man these things are wild!

I’ve been informally polling friends about how they use their foraging cache: raw in salads, check! chopped in omelets, check! shredded with new potatoes, baby peas, olive oil and goats cheese. My Himalayan friend Mridula says that in India it is used to wrap spice-coated fish; gardener friend Steven stuffs chicken with it,  and Judy who grew up in Fiji and the Caribbean cooks it like a stir-fry; as for me, i’m thinking about adding it to Iranian style rice pilau, scrambling it softly with eggs, or kneaded into country bread, as i usually do rosemary, or thyme, or dill. but really:  no matter what else i cook and eat and frolick in garlic wise, in truth:  i’m all about pesto.

pesto was my introduction to wild garlic: in a farmers market in strasbourg, france; a little stall was selling jars and offering tastes: it was ardent, it was fragrant, it was strong, nearly unbearably so. but, garlic crazy-lady that i’ve always been, i loved it. i bought jars and gave them to everyone i knew; many liked it in varying degrees. Others requested I never ever mention wild garlic again.

but i was undaunted and each season when the bright green leaves start growing abundantly, determinedly, i’m there with a bag to fill. each and every day. until the season is gone.and there are hints of the blackberries to come….

simple wild garlic/ramp/bear garlic pesto:

pesto:

big handfuls of fresh unblemished wild garlic, ramps, bear garlic, cut up coarsely

enough olive oil to puree the leaves with

a small handful coarsely chopped walnuts or pinenuts (about 1 tablespoon)

Several tablespoons grated grana/parmigiano/asiago or other hard cheese

Several pinches salt

1. put it all in a food processor or blender and whirl, turning it off and on, so that all the leaves have a chance to puree evenly.

2. taste for seasoning; i might be so strong it will take your breath away. get a nice chunk of bread and eat it spread on the bread; if you’re going to fall in love, this might do it.

3. place in a bowl or jar and drizzle olive oil over the top. i like to eat it fresh tossed with al dente pasta, green beans and potatoes as you’d do with a classic basil pesto in Liguria. It freezes well; pour into a jar, drizzle olive oil over the top, pop on the lid and freeze; should last up to about 3-6 months in the deep-freeze but really: you’ll want to nosh it sooner than that.

Potato Salad with Tangy, Green, Ramp/Bear Garlic Dressing

Meanwhile, to eat today, this very moment when the ramps are fresh and you’re wondering what to do with them: potato salad. green, green, and very tangy, potato salad.

About 1 lb new potatoes, or fingerlings, ratte, other small delicious waxy spuds, peeled or not, as you prefer

2 eggs

About 10 leaves of ramp/bear garlic, coarsely cut up

About 3 heaping tablespoons mayonaise

About 3 heaping tablespoons yogurt

1-2 tespoons brined capers with a few droplets or more, as desired, of their juice

A few drops of lemon juice

About a tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are just cooked through and no more; drain well and set aside. Hard boil the eggs; i often just put them in with the potatoes when the spuds are about halfway cooked.

To peel the eggs, crack each against the other, rinse under very cold water, and peel. Rinse again to rid the eggs of any shells.

In a blender or food processor, whirl the ramp/bear garlic with the mayo, yogurt, capers, lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste. The dressing should be quite a nice green, and very aromatic. that is to say, it smells like a garlic forest.

Slice the potatoes, chopped the eggs, and combine. Let cool so it doesnt melt the dressing; when cool enough spoon in the dressing and mix well; garnic with thinly sliced fresh bear garlic/ ramp leaves, and eat now or chill until ready to serve.

Soft Scramble of Ramps and Eggs

Serves 2, multiply at will

Big handful of ramps: thinly sliced, about 20 leaves or as desired

2-3 tablespoons butter

4 eggs, lightly beaten with a tablespoon or two of water or milk added

1 tablespoon cream cheese

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste–i’m quite fond of toasted, coarsely crushed Szechuan peppercorns

In a small omelet or other frying pan, such as nonstick, warm about half the butter then add the ramps; melt together, over medium light heat, rather than fry. When ramps are wilted, pour in the eggs and add the cream cheese; sprinkle with salt to taste.

Cook over medium heat, quickly, as the eggs form curds lift up the edges and let the liquid run under; stir a bit to be sure the cream cheese is melting into the eggs and ramps. If desired, when the eggs are about halfway through add the rest of the butter–though this adds deliciously smooth richness, the ramps and eggs are good without it, too. Use your concience or desire to decide.

Do not overcook, serve it in satiny curds, along with crisp crunchy pain levain which really:don’t need buttering at all: the eggs are lusciously buttery enough. More on the toast will simply obscure.

Aromatic Fresh and Zingy Ramp Mustard

Puree coarsely chopped fresh ramps–say, a big handful, 20 or so leaves, with about 1/2 cup or so tasty tangy mustard: for this i used half spicy and slightly sweet, one of my culinary souvenirs from Poland, and half a not-too-strong Dijon shlepped back in my suitcase from France. (my mustard shelf is my international treasure.) Whirl together in a food processor or blender, or simply chop the ramps finely and stir in with the mustard/s.

Slather onto pan browned fabulous sausages or fish as it is grilling. and yes, i eat it by the spoonful.

will last up to a week or so, covered, in fridge.

Green, Green, and Aromatic to the point of delicious reeking, Puree of Bear-Garlic (Ramps) Soup

Makes about 6 bowlfuls

1 potato, peeled and diced

6 cups or 1 litre broth/stock: chicken, vegetable, or a personal favourite, porcini (buy the stock cubes when you find em; speciality stores or if you’re lucky to be in italy, a good time to stock up and shlep back!)

Small handful green beans or 2 green runner beans (Romano beans), cut up

Big big handful ramps/bear garlic: lots. 20-30 big leaves, or 40 small ones, just a couple of handfuls. or as much as you desire, can tolerate, cut up coarsely

About 1 cup/250ml heavy (double) cream, more if you like, or less if you prefer; the rich cream helps cut the shock of the bear garlic, rounds it out

Combine potato chunks and stock/broth in a saucepan and bring to the boil; simmer until potato is tender, about 10 minutes, then add green beans until they are tenderish but still bright green, a minute or two.

Puree in blender or food processor with the ramps/bear garlic, until it is smoothish. Salt and white pepper to taste and add cream.

Serve hot, warm, or cool, as a sort of garlic forest vichychoise.

Mediterranean Bread Salad with Ramps/Bear Garlic and Black Oil-Cured Olives

For 4

About 8 ounces dried country bread, pain levain

Several cloves chopped garlic

About 10 to 15 big bear garlic/ramp leaves, cut into thin strips

2 nice ripe tomatoes, diced (or 3, or 4, depending on the season and state of the tomatoes)

About 10 oil-cured black olives, pitted and cut into several pieces each

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or to taste

A few drops of white wine vinegar, or to taste

Salt to taste

In a large bowl place the bread then pour water over it. Leave for a few minutes to rehydrate–the exact amount of time depends on how dry the bread was to start with) then drain and squeeze out the excess liquid. Discard the squeezed out liquid, and gently combine the bread with the remaining ingredients. Mix well and set aside to combine flavours, until you are ready to eat. Taste for seasoning.

Good the next day too, possibly better.

Ramp-Wrapped Asiany-Mustardy Fish

Alas, no picture, we ate it before i had a chance to snap. it was so good, i must include recipe: if i make it again will snap and post. Meanwhile, delish just delish. Instead of ramps/bear garlic, if its not the season,  i’d wrap the fish around several times with a couple of tender-ish green leek leaves. The ramps/bear garlic/leek leaves don’t really stay on the fish, rather keep it moist, keeps the mustard from burning or sticking, and end up as both tender leaves and crispy bits in the pan.

Serves 4

4 thick cod fillet pieces, 4-6 ounces/ 125g-175g  each

Pinch salt

4-5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/2 -1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce (or regular and adjust salt accordingly)

2 teaspoons sesame oil

About 2 tablespoons mildish Dijon or Polish type mustard, or–if  you’ve made the ramp mustard, use that

About 20 ramp/bear garlic/tender leek leaves (blanch them if too tough to bend)

Rinse the cod fillets in cold water, then dry; sprinkle with salt, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil, rubbing it all in well. Leave to stand for about 10 minutes.

Spread each fillet with mustard, then lay each one out onto several ramp/bear garlic/leek leaves, and wrap up. The fish won’t be completely covered, which is okay, the leaves come off a bit when cooking.

Heat a nonstick frying pan just large enough to fit the fish, smear with a whisper of olive oil, then place the wrapped fillets into the pan. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, until the fish begins to turn opaque then turn over. Cover with lid, squirt with a few drops of lemon juice, then remove from heat, and let fish finish cooking in its own steam.

Eat right away.

Do you think it would be simply an annoyance if you lost your  ability to smell or taste your world? Would you simply get used to it and go about your daily life again? Think again: your sense of smell permeates each and every moment of your life, from smelling the grass on a lovely day or the rain on a miserable one, your doggies muddy fur, your husbands warm embrace, the sweet milky smell of your baby or the lovely life-long smell of your grown child.

And THATS not even addressing the sweet smells and tastes of food, and perfumes, and flavours. A world without the richness of smelling, the ripe wealth of tastes? Its almost impossible to imagine. At least it WAS something I couldn’t even think of.

And then, nearly two years ago I was crossing the street when suddenly i was flying in the sky, seared with pain. I was hit by Mercedes SUV at speed.  I flew up and up and up and up, and landed down very fast. And very hard. And when I hit the ground, it was my head that hit first.

The good news is that I didn’t die; nor was I paralyzed.  The bad news grabbed me when I tried to eat: nothing had any taste/smell. My world was empty.

AND i was being bombarded by smells that weren’t there. Smoke. Poison. Straw. plastic (as in Barbie gone evil). and a few others. They are phantoms of smells.

Its been two years but I still struggle; my life is nearly unbearable when the phantoms are frequent and strong. I wake up many/most nights by a sense of horrible smell: smoke. Gas. are they real? is there a gas leak? on airplanes I smell smoke, fumes: are they real? should i panic?Last week I put down a cup of coffee and left the room a moment; when i returned i smelled not coffee, but smoke; and it smelled familiar; “Bacon”!!!! was what i suddenly smelled.

During the last 2 years I’ve spent most of my time working hard–physical therapy, psychological counseling and cognitive behavioural therapy for the post traumatic stress and nightmares, and dealing with the shocking loss of the very essence of my life: my pleasure of tasting and smelling, and the resulting talent and skills for making a living: writing cookbooks, columns, and broadcasting. I’ve also worked steadily, every moment  at trying to rebuild my ability to taste; often i feel bereft, and wonder whose life i am in and where my own delicious life has gone? Some tastes are better, some are nearly there, but usually when i think they are nearly there i often get a shock and realize that i’m missing so much. And I must work very hard at putting together various elements of taste instead of just appreciating them, as most people do. Smells and tastes morph when i’m cooking into something that smells good to others but to me, smells horrific. Its confusing. In other words: its heartbreaking.  I just want my life back.

Taste and smells are THAT important.

Listen to BBC Radio 4 The Food Programme this Sunday, 17 March 12.30 and rebroadcast the next day, Monday at 3.30. As a guest, I tell my story and explore with the team taste/smell–cheese at Neals Yard, Coffee at Freestate Cafe with Jeremy Torz, and jelly beans (The Jelly Bean Test) with Professor Barry C. Smith at The University of London.

Recently I facebook-eavesdropped on Amy Sherman (http:cookingwithamy.com)  and Suvir Suran (author of Masala Farm, TV guest, general Indian cooking guru, find him on http:Suvir.com).  Anyhow, Suvir was instructing Amy on the finer points of making poha into a spicy salad-ish delicious thing.   I’d seen poha on the shelves of Indian grocers: flat flaked rice that looked like it would be fabulous and fascinating, like something i could fall in love with, if only i could figure out what to do with it. I decided I wanted some of the action, and joined Amy in a sort of sister-blog: each of us making the dish and posting at the same time.

Suvir was on the East Coast; Amy and I were in the Bay Area. We decided to head out to an Indian grocery–in this instance, the shop right next door to Vik’s Chaat House in Berkeley. Since we were there, and it was midday, we had to have lunch first. To be perfectly honest, we planned to arrive for just this reason: Vik’s is legendary in its spicy and refreshingly affordable lusciousness. Everything is wonderful, and the daily special is….well, special. On this particular day, full of vegetables, awash in a complex spicy sauce: taro, okra, something mysterious and chewy, eggplant/aubergine…. It came on a plate with a layered whole wheat flat cake (paratha), yogurt raita, sizzlingly picante pickle/chutney, a delicate rice pilaff, and somewhere there were curried chickpeas….we also got a plate of aloo papri, and stuffed tiny puffs of crisp fried lentil cakes with a spicy curried potato mix, date chutney, and dipped it into a tangy herby aromatic water. you have to eat it in one bite or all is lost, pretty much down your chin.

I don’t have a foto of Amy and I eating. We were too in-the-moment– by the time either of us even thought of snapping our plates they were pretty much empty. BUT i do have a pic of Amy and I shopping. I’m holding up a MASSIVE jar of chutney/pickle. (famous am I for my love of pickles:Indian, Asian, American or Eastern European–you pickle it and i’ll probably love it).

Back to the poha; we wandered through the aisles at Viks in search. Poha is sold dry in cellophane or plastic bags; i might have seen large bags in burlap too. To prepare posa, simply moisten, then toss with spices and warmed gently, adding a little extra water or liquid as you toss in the pan.  It takes a short time to cook into a light, fluffy carby mound somewhat like snow, but neither cold nor melting. The flat rice flakes take on the flavours of the spices you toss it into the pan with: in this case, sizzled curry leaves, mustard seeds, and cumin; dressed in lime juice and fluffed with handfuls of chopped cilantro/coriander leaves, crunchy crisp peanuts and toasted coconut.  I served it as a lovely room temperature dish–almost salad-like–dish, to go alongside my annual eggplant parmesan bash for my friend Scott’s birthday. Also, I know it is a great to have a bowl in he fridge for several days running because we did, and its amazing how many times one of us was drawn to open the fridge, check out whats inside, and have a spoonful of the poha as long as we were there.

Poha–Indian Flat Rice Salad, studded with sweet potato, rice with a million textures and flavours: tart, herbal, spicy, rich, salty, everything all at the same time. And now that I know what to do with it, I don’t think i can live without it. Even now I am thining of dishes that poha would be wonderful in. Love: it was bound to happen.

Adapted from Suvir Suran, and made in cyber-conjunction with Amy Sherman

How many does it serve? it depends on how many other things you are serving. I made this amount and we ate from it for a few days; i liked it especially with a few dollops of yogurt on the side.

1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

12 fresh curry leaves, roughtly torn

1/2 teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds (Suvir calls for black; i’ve made it with both at different times; both are good!)

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 smallish dried red chile, left whole for a subtle head, broken up or crushed for full-blast hot

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (a pungent resin used as a spice in Indian cooking)

1 big red onion, thinly sliced

1  1/2 teaspoons salt, divided into 2

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces

1/3 cup roasted peanuts

1 green serrano chile, finely chopped (with or without seeds; as you like).

2 cups poha

2 extra tablespoons water, or enough to moisten the dish

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup chopped cilantro/fresh coriander

In a heavy ungreased frying pan toast the coconut until it is lightly browned, then remove from the pan.

Add the oil; let heat for a few moments, then add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and red chile; add until the mustard seeds pop, then add the asafoetida, onions, and half the salt.

Cook until the onions are soft, then add the sweet potato and cook, stirring, until they sweet potatoes are tender and browned.

Add the toasted coconut, the peanuts and half the serrano chile. Rinse to moisten the poha, then drain of any excess water, and add to the mixture in the pan. Toss in a stir-fry kinda way until the poha plumps up and mixes with the other ingredients; drizzle in the 2 tablespoons of water, adding more as and if you need it. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, add the lime juice, half the cilantro/fresh coriander, and as much of the rest of the salt as needed.

Just before serving, sprinkle with or toss in rest of the cilantro and fresh

serrano chile.