Eating spring: nettle + ramp ricotta crostata

Flowers optional, but highly recommended

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Hello and welcome to today’s Stories from Catbird Cottage! I have felt less productive of late. I can directly point to the explosion of spring as the culprit, pulling me here, then there, to witness all the moments happening… the everything-everywhere-all-at-once phenomenon. The birds are AMAZING right now. There is a chickadee couple, who for the last 4 days have been tap-tap-tapping a hollow in the recess of one of our fence posts, who are going to *make a nest 5 feet* from my office window. In the span of just 10 minutes yesterday, I saw a male cardinal feeding his female mate, then a house finch doing the same for his partner, both who mate for life. This is courtship behavior as they scout which location may be “their spot”, prior to constructing their nests. The wood thrushes are back, as are the rose-breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore orioles, some of my very favorite birds. I get to wake up to a cacophony of birdsong each day and it is truly dazzling…

If your mother is a lover of nature, gardening, and zesty, beautiful food - and with Mother’s Day right around the corner - I encourage you to give her my award-winning book, A Year at Catbird Cottage. Not only are there loads of outstanding recipes organized by the seasons, but the book shares a kind of storytelling that transcends it from cookbook, to a timeless keyhole-into-a-world. The book is indisputably beautiful (it won the IACP award for photography and styling) and it is a gift that contains many layers, to give, and give again. I would be happy to personally inscribe it for her! Drop a line and I’ll get your copy beautifully packaged and sent off in time for her special day.

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Now, to today’s delicious dish… With the warmer days arriving and before the trees leafed out, I knew it was time to make a point and head out to forage ramps and stinging nettles. They both grow in abundance on the property of a guest who’d dined at the cottage, in a sprawling wilds filled with invasive plants and birdsongs. The experience was part adventure, part balm for the soul, and very much anticipated. I’d gone a year prior so I knew what was in store, and it’s in this knowing (not a guarantee for many foraging jaunts) that anchored the idea to make something with nettles for today’s newsletter.

Did you know stinging nettles are incredibly healthy for the whole body constitution? They have been used for hundreds of years as a tonic for skin and hair, to alleviate joint pain, to offset seasonal allergies, lower blood pressure, and much more. I wrote about them in my Primer on Foraging, and while yes, they’re potentially painful to touch with bare skin, nettles are rendered inert after a very brief blanch in hot water, then shocked in an ice bath. Nettles also freeze well if you happen to come across a large patch, something I like to do so I can dream up new ways to use them in a leisurely capacity, and not be required to use the bounty all at once.

Clockwise from top left: Happy ramps and a few nettles stems along my jaunt; harvesting the top node or two from plants; rinsing them (with gloves) once back home; laid out on a tea towel to absorb excess moisture before storing in the fridge

The idea for this crostata formed as I meandered that day, and by the time I was home I knew I’d incorporate some of the ramps too - because their wonderful sweet oniony flavor would be a tasty addition, and the finished bake would be a true celebration of the season.

If you don’t have access to ramps and nettles, this crostata can be made with spinach or radish greens, and field garlic or chives. Once the pastry had cooled and I took the first bite, it reminded me of spanakopita in the best way, only juicier and more robust. And the crust is sooo savory.

Because I look to bring richer flavor to everything I make, I incorporated buttermilk into this pastry recipe. It imparts a lovely, light crumb and makes the flavor of the finished crostata more robust. I also added einkorn flour to the mix, a supremely tasty ancient wheat. As a grain, einkorn is highly nutritious, easier to digest, has an anti-inflammatory properties, and supports gut health. Swap a proportion of einkorn in for more flavor in your bakes and see for yourself! I loved the results of this pastry dough and I am definitely adding it to my repertoire.

I highly recommend adding the freshly cracked black pepper and a light sprinkle of ramp salt to the perimeter once you’ve painted the pleated pastry. For those of you who have my book, find the ramp salt recipe on page 63 in the staples section. Once you’ve made it, sprinkle the oniony umami magic onto everything! The ramp salt lasts for years, stored sealed in jars in the freezer.

And, a note about the flowers… it is an act of joy to eat flowers, whose presence represents the ephemeral moment. They are unquestionably beautiful, vary by the season, and range widely in flavor. Here, I used what is available right now: violets and ground ivy flowers. The violets are quite mild but have a soft-juicy petal experience. Ground ivy is in the mint family, and imparts a little peppery hit. A marvel for something so demure! If you can positively ID a cluster of wild-growing flowers near you, I highly recommend sampling them, then adding petals and blooms to all your dishes.

Nettle + ramps ricotta crostata, with einkorn pastry + edible flowers
Serves 6-8