Roasted Asparagus with Ramp Aioli

Asparagus and egg-y sauces (think hollandaise) are a natural. In this recipe, I’ve paired roasted asparagus with a lemony ramp aioli. Ramps are wild leeks, and have gotten insanely popular in the last few years among chefs and eaters alike, probably due to their sheer deliciousness. They are a traditional food in the Appalachian mountains and in Quebecois cuisine. Ramps taste like a combination of green garlic and onions, with a bit of leek thrown in. Like asparagus, they are a fleeting seasonal vegetable that make their appearance in the spring. If you can’t find ramps, substitute one clove of garlic for the ramp bulbs.

When you make a raw egg preparation like aioli, which is made much like mayonnaise, use the best quality, farm fresh-est eggs you can find. It will make a difference in the a) color of your aioli and b) taste of your aioli. (And when you’re eating raw eggs especially, do you really want to eat eggs that come from a factory farm? You’re just playing with fire, my friends. Playing with fire.) If you don’t have anyone to help you slowly drizzle the olive oil into the egg yolk mixture, you can roll a damp kitchen towel into a ring. Nestle your bowl into the ring – this will keep your bowl from dancing all over the counter top as you’re whisking and drizzling.

Roasting asparagus brings out a sweet-nutty flavor in the vegetable. But first you must trim the asparagus stalks. I have two ways to trim asparagus: the lazy way, and the frugal way. To trim the lazy way: gently bend the asparagus – it will usually snap toward the bottom of the stalk at the point where the asparagus becomes tough. Discard the tough bottom (this tip comes directly from my grandma who has grown her own asparagus on her farm for many years).  To trim the frugal way: cut a thin disk from the bottom of the asparagus. Using a swivel-blade vegetable peeler, trim the outer skin from the asparagus about 2-3 inches up the stalk. Discard the trimmed bits.

Ingredients:

For the Roasted Asparagus:
1 large bunch asparagus, trimmed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Generous pinch of kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Ramp Aioli:
3-4 ramps, whites only (reserve greens for another use) or 1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Pinch kosher salt
Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
1 egg yolk
150 ml extra virgin olive oil (or substitute half of a neutral oil, such as organic canola, to cut down on cost)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. On a small sheet pan, toss the asparagus, olive oil, salt, and a few grindings of black pepper together to coat.
3. Roast in the oven until the asparagus is tender and is just starting to brown, 10-15 minutes. (Check the asparagus frequently – cooking time will depend on the thickness of the asparagus.)
4. Meanwhile, make the aioli: Trim the roots from the ramp bulbs and clean well. Chop into 2-3 pieces. Press the ramp whites in a garlic press (or chop extremely finely) into a medium bowl.
5. Add lemon juice, salt, and optional cayenne. Add egg yolk. Whisk just to combine.
6. In a very slow, steady stream, add the olive oil, whisking continuously. Don’t add to much oil at once, especially at the beginning of the mixing process.
7. Taste and season with additional lemon juice, salt, or cayenne, if necessary. If the aioli is too thick to drizzle, whisk in water, drop-by-drop, until the aioli thins to the consistency you like.
8. Set aioli aside (or put into a squeeze bottle if you want to make your aioli drizzling a little fancier).
9. Remove asparagus from oven, and let cool to just above room temperature.
10. Top the roasted asparagus with the aioli, or serve as a dipping sauce.

Serves 4 as a side dish or appetizer.

Note: Use leftover ramp aioli as a condiment on sandwiches, or as a drizzle for pan-roasted potatoes.