Saturday, May 5, 2012

Pastalove Bloghop - Meyer Lemon and Ramp Pasta with Arugula

A creamy combination of Meyer lemons and ramps, sprinkled with fresh arugula and tossed in fettucine make for a fresh, yet satisfyingly decadent, pasta dish. While both ramps and Meyer lemons may sound exotic or unusual depending on where you live, they can generally be found along the East coast in the spring at farmer's markets or specialty produce stores.

Meyer lemons are actually a cross between a lemon and a mandarin (or possibly another type of) orange. As a result they are generally a golden yellow when mature and have an intensely aromatic citrus scent. The Meyer lemon is native to China and was introduced to the US in the early twentieth century by a US Department of Agriculture employee following a trip to China. A virus in the 1940s wiped out many Meyer lemon trees and it is only since the mid 1970s that production of a symptom-less variety has resumed. One of the darlings of the foodie revolution, a little Meyer lemon goes a long way and the scent is definitely the dominant characteristic in this creamy, fresh, spring pasta.


Ramps are wild onions that resemble scallions in appearance and garlic in flavor. They are characterized by their broad, flat leaves and the purple "neck" they have on their stem and form part of the allium genus, which includes all types of onions and garlic (think plants with pungent bulbs and flowering tops). They are native to the East coast of the United States. The name is derived from the Elizabethan English word "ramson" which refers to the English bear leek - a close cousin to our American ramps. Parts of the US, in particular the Appalachian region of West Virginia, hold festivals each spring to celebrate the arrival of ramp season.


Like many pasta dishes this comes together very quickly and requires extremely minimal preparation. Dinner can be ready in about 15 minutes. What? What?! Yup - 15 minutes. Woot! Woot! 

Meyer Lemon and Ramp Pasta with Arugula ~ serves 2
4 oz Fettucine (dry weight)
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons mascarpone
6 ramps
2 cups arugula
2 Meyer lemons, juice & zest
salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, dice the bulbs of the ramps and slice the leaves. Hold the leaves aside while you melt the butter in a sauté pan and gently sauté the minced ramp bulbs. Add the Meyer lemon juice, mascarpone, and ramp leaves. Stir and melt the mascarpone. Add the arugula, cooked pasta, and Meyer lemon zest. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.



Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, be sure to check out these other great pasta recipes:

Kale & Beet Ravioli
Brussels Sprouts and Pine Nut Pasta
Tuna Noodle Casserole - No Canned Soup!
Hat-trick Lasagna (aka The Best Lasagna You Ever Ate)

This is #pastalove! The rules for this bloghop are:
1. Your recipe must be originally posted in May 2012
2. Your recipe must feature pasta as a main component.
3. You must link back to this post.
4. Optional ~ follow along on twitter using the #pastalove hashtag.

Please follow all of our lovely co-hosts!

ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~  @astigvegan
Badger Girl Learns to Cook ~ Kimberly ~ @BdgrGrl
BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker
Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth
Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess
Elephant Eats ~ Amy
Hobby And More ~ Richa ~ @betit19
Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose
Rico sin Azucar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar
Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem
Soni's Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood 
Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil 
That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick
The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd
The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian
Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack
Vegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma
You Made That? ~ Suzanne ~ @YouMadeThatblog

22 comments:

  1. Ahhh, heaven! I have yet to cook with ramps and always ogle after Meyer Lemon recipes - now I have an excuse to buy both. Just love love these type of pasta dishes.

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  2. I love ramps, but they're not easy to find here on the west coast. I would love to make this pasta though, so I'm going to have to track some down :-) It looks just delicious! Sending you lots of #pastalove this month, Jess!

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  3. Never tried ramps, but will look for it now!Your pasta looks delicious with the arugula,meyer lemon and mascarpone!!Lovely flavors coming together!Sending you some #pastalove Jess!!

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  4. Great initiative! I couldn't resist linking up!

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  5. I'm loving all the flavors in here! And it looks so simple to make, which is absolutely perfect for weeknights.

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  6. Jessica this looks really delicious. I love the idea of meyer lemons in it. I've not see ramps here but need to check the gourmet market. They usually have stuff I can't find elsewhere.

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  7. I LOVE arugula..I'll see if I can veganize this. Thanks so much for the recipe. Happy Bloghop!

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  8. This a beautiful dish! Great way to use ramps!

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  9. Oh, yum! I can taste the creamy lemony goodness right now! I have oodles of Meyer's lemons on my tree right now, but have yet to find any ramps here in San Diego, so may need to substitute leeks. Can't wait to make this, and happy to celebrate #pastalove with you this month!

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  10. Love mascarpone!!! creamy lemony sauce, yum!

    Happy #pastalove, Jessica ;-)

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  11. I still haven't tried Meyer lemons yet!!! I love all flavors in this dish. Arugula and lemon are an amazing combo :)

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  12. This looks like such a great spring pasta dish. It's definitely ramp time in New York and I've been having fun throwing them into recipes. A great seasonal treat!

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  13. Love the flavors you created in this wonderful pasta dish. Meyer lemons are the best and I've been on the lookout for ramps. Thanks for sharing this yumminess for #pastalove month:)

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  14. What a fabulous, creamy, delicious pasta dish!!! SO gorgeous and perfect for #PastaLove!

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  15. Looks fantastic! Love ramps! Did you know that, according to lore, the Menominee tribe nicknamed them "the skunk plant", and because ramps grew so abundantly along Lake MI shores, they named their settlement Shikako ("skunk place"), which eventually evolved into Chicago. Tidbit for the day :-) Lemon with ramps and pasta sounds like a gorgeous dish!

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  16. Looks really tasty and fresh. Never heard of ramps but I know I would like them from your description. Nice job on your pasta recipe :)

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  17. This looks amazing! Lemon always makes things so refreshing :)Sending you some #pastalove! Have a great week!
    Cindy

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  18. this looks FABULOUS! i love arugula - a new found taste. :D great flavors here. :)

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  19. And I am linking up my homemade trofie...

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  20. cant go wrong with lemony arugula.. i've never heard of ramps too. love the brussels sprouts pasta too!

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  21. I love lemon and ramps together ! Great flavors! Thanks for sharing the pasta love!

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  22. Awesome - Awesome combination of beautiful flavors.

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