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INGREDIENTS

8 ramps

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Serves 4

Preheat a grill.

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl, toss until the ramps are evenly coated with the oil, and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

Arrange the ramps on the hot grill. Watch them carefully, moving them around with a pair of tongs to keep them from burning. The ramps are done when they wilt and soften—it should take only a couple minutes.

Photographs by Sara Remington

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Artichokes and Asparagus with Almonds and Grapefruit Dressing

Asparagus and artichokes start showing up in Big Sur around April. Since we can still get ruby red grapefruit then, we like to combine them all into this salad. The flavors go together perfectly. We roast the asparagus in the wood-burning oven, which runs so hot that their flesh gets little char marks and develops a nice nutty flavor. For the baby greens, any kind will do; choose according to what’s in season.

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INGREDIENTS

FOR THE ARTICHOKES:

4 artichokes

1 lemon

1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 small carrot, roughly chopped

1 celery stalk, roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon kosher salt

FOR THE ALMONDS:

½ cup unblanched almonds

1 teaspoon rice bran oil or canola oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE ASPARAGUS:

8 asparagus spears, ends removed

1 tablespoon rice bran oil or canola oil

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Serves 4

Start with the artichokes since they will take the longest to prepare. When cleaning the artichokes your goal is to remove all the exterior leaves, leaving just the heart. To do so, use a serrated knife to cut off one third of the artichokes’ tops. Working around each artichoke in a circle, remove the rough green leaves until only soft yellow leaves remain. To clean the stem, peel it with a paring knife and trim off about ¼ inch at the bottom.

Immediately put the cleaned artichokes in a large pot filled with cold water. Cut the lemon in half, squeeze its juice into the pot, and then toss in the rest of the lemon (this will prevent the artichokes from oxidizing and turning brown). Add the onions, carrots, celery, bay leaf, and salt. Put a heavy plate over the artichokes to keep them submerged as they cook. Bring the liquid to a lazy simmer and cook until you can easily insert a paring knife through the center of an artichoke, about 30 minutes. Let them cool in the pot, keeping them submerged (this helps preserve their color and flavor).

While the artichokes are cooling, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Place the almonds on a cookie sheet. Drizzle them with the oil, season with salt and pepper, and toast them until they’re golden brown through the center, about 12 minutes. (To check if they’re done, cut one open and inspect the color on the inside.) Let the almonds cool, and then roughly chop them.

Increase the oven heat to 450ºF. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with the oil, sprinkle with the thyme leaves, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until the asparagus spears are fork-tender. Allow the asparagus to cool to room temperature.

Photographs by Sara Remington

Photographs by Sara Remington

Photographs by Sara Remington

FOR THE GRAPEFRUIT DRESSING:

Juice of 1 ruby red grapefruit

1 tablespoon golden (or white) balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Juice of ½ lemon

¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or more if needed

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more if needed

6 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil

TO FINISH:

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 handfuls baby greens

To make the dressing, put the grapefruit juice in a small saucepan. Reduce the juice over high heat until syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes—you should be left with about 1 tablespoon. Whisk together the reduced grapefruit juice, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper