Ramps Recipe - Stuffed Ramps Rolls

Stuffed Ramps Rolls

The leaves of the ramps that we have picked this spring have been especially large, and we thought it might work if we tried to stuff them like cabbage leaves. What follows is a loose recipe of what I put together for a filling, although there is a lot of room for substitutions. I had some cooked quinoa in the fridge, but you could use rice or another cooked grain. I used a vegetarian ground-beef substitute, but you could use ground beef, pork or sausage in it's place. Finally, I served these with a yellow tomato sauce we had made last year, but jarred pasta sauce would be fine.

Stuffed Ramps Rolls    makes 24-30
24-30 cleaned ramps leaves
1/2 c. chopped ramps bulbs, or onion
1/2 pound ground beef substitute, ground beef, ground pork, or sausage
2 c. cooked quinoa, cooked rice, or cooked grain
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. chopped ramps greens
1/4 c. breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
1 c. yellow tomato sauce, or pasta sauce

1. Sautée the chopped ramps bulbs or onions in a bit of oil, cooking until they are translucent. Add the ground meat substitute or ground meat to the pan, and cook it fully.
2. Put the cooked meat mixture in a bowl, and add the cooked grain, beaten eggs, chopped ramps greens, and the breadcrumbs. Mix it all together, and add some salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to rest a few minutes. If it is still too wet, add more breadcrumbs. You want to be able to form loose balls with the filling.
3. Take a ramps leaf, and run the back of a spoon along the center rib to lightly bruise it. This makes the leaf easier to roll. Take about 3 T of filling and place along the bottom of the leaf. Roll up the leaf around the filling, leaving the ends open. Carefully transfer the roll to an oiled baking pan.
4. Spray the tops of the rolls with cooking spray, or brush oil over them to prevent the rolls from drying out. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Serve over warm tomato sauce.