THE DANE COUNTY FARMERS MARKET IS BACK! Finally the vibrant fuchsia center of beauty heart radish graces my plate, tender arugula leaves are passed out as samples by the man who harvested them in the Saturday dawn and bunches of aromatic ramps catch my eye for a spring pesto.

This is undoubtedly my favorite time of the year to be eating. (ok, the lush tomatoes and sweet corn of late summer provide stiff competition). I have an east-facing apartment so on that glorious first-market day 6:15 am rolled around and I was up and at ‘em. With the promise of a pasty and a market dinner later that night, and I cajoled my handsome man to meet me on the capital square.

This week my loot included fresh arugula, Spanish Black Round radishes, fresh salsa and two massive bunches of ramps and young goat feta (In all, we sampled a dozen different cheeses, salsas, and infused oils; we sipped strong black coffee, indulged in chocolate filled croissants, a raspberry oatmeal muffin and I seriously considered bison beef jerky, goodness I love snacks!)

The ramps were far and away the most exiting purchase. For the virgin ramp consumer, a ramp is a wild leek, its’ flavor bridges the gap between an onion and young garlic. Their tender leaves don’t need any cooking before they are incorporated into most dishes, including this pesto recipe. The vibrant green of this sauce coats the pasta in a restaurant worthy elegance.

Seared Salmon with Linguini and Wild Ramp Pesto

1 bunch wild ramps, bulbs and stems thinly sliced (about ½ cup), green leaves reserved and chopped

¼ basil, chopped

1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, + 1 tbsp for sautéing

Half a lemon

Salt, pepper

½ pound linguini (you can get it fresh at the Dane Co Market!)

2 pieces of salmon, about 6-8 oz per piece (this recipe provides abundant pesto for two people, I used it the next day on a pizza

Set a large pot of water to boil, cover and go about your business.

In a large pan, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and sauté the ramp bulbs and stems until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer cooked ramps, green tops, pine nuts, cheese and basil to a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until finely chopped and nearing a pasty composure, now slowly with the blade a-spinning, add 1/4 cup olive oil. The oil will emulsify as it integrates into the sauce. The result should be smooth, but toothy.

(Hopefully your pasta water is ready, add linguini)

Heat extra olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on the salmon and cook, skin side up first about 4-5 minutes per side.

Drain pasta and save a little of the water. Return to the pot and add all but 1/4 cup of the pesto. If sauce is too think add pasta water one tablespoon at a time. Divide pasta between two shallow bowls, top with salmon and smear remaining pesto across fish.

Eat!

Salt, it’s not just a seasoning, it is a sauté pan, a grill rack or a sushi tray; a butter maker, a Carpaccio curer or a beautiful serving tray.

That is, when you’re dealing with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt.  The block is identical to rose quarts– fault lines of salty whiteness zig zag through the 14″ by 10″ block, birthmarks of time and geo-pressure.   This big pink block is perfect for cooking at both hot and cold temperatures.

Because the crystal lattice of this particular “stone” has a very high specific heat, it holds its heat or cold for a long time. For those who only had chemistry in high school (me) specific heat is a measure of how much energy, measured in Joules it takes to raise one gram of a substance one degree Celsius. The higher the specific heat, the longer the substance will maintain its temp.

Ok, so what does that mean? It means that even after removing the block, dining and cleaning up, it was still too hot to clean by hand.

I took it for a test drive for the first time last night. Craving fish and friends, Alex and Mallory joined me for baked whitefish and IPA’s at my apartment.

After cooking on the salt for about 10 or 12 minutes, the fish was flaky and infused from the bottom up with an oceanic essence. Didn’t salt the fish and it didn’t need it, a dash of lemon, a grind of pepper and a little parsley finished it off. The result was quite good, but I am looking forward to trying again.

Image by Savory.tv

The fish clung strongly to the salt and the last bites scrapped away from the block left me craving water, next time I would remove the fish from the stone after about 5-7 minutes resting out of the oven. I would also try a more meaty fish, I’m thinking tuna, the opaque, sushi like center might lend itself well to the flavor. Speaking of sushi, I’m getting a little bamboo mat, gathering some friends and making maki. Sea salt deserves ocean going friends—ahi, yellowtail, yum yum yummmm. Sounds perfect for a summer afternoon with a bottle of sake.

Image by Tiffany

(Salt has played a major role in international commerce, English verbiage and of course flavoring french fries. Read more about it’s historical prowess)