If you've been reading this blog or Appetite for China for a while, you may remember that I'm a little obsessed with ramps, the wild leeks that are only available on the East Coast for a few weeks in the spring. I've used them when making pasta, stir-fries, dumplings, eggs, and cold sesame noodles. And I've gotten quite a few of the students in my cooking classes addicted to them as well.

I had thought ramps were officially gone for the year, until I spotted a few bunches at the Greenmarket this past Friday. (The stand was also selling just ramp bulbs.) And they looked pretty good for being end-of-the-season picks. So I brought a bunch home and made ramp tacos for three straight meals.

These are fairly minimalist as far as tacos go. (And fast. And made with mostly prepared ingredients.) But these tacos really allow the oniony-garlicky flavor of ramps to shine through. For a die-hard ramp lover, that's pure bliss.

Look how nice and crispy the bulbs get in less than two minutes.

If ramps aren't available at the time of reading, these tacos would still be great with sautéed leeks and garlic.

Next spring, I'm definitely making ramp pizza.

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Ramp Tacos

Serves 2 to 3 (makes 8 tacos)

Ingredients

1 small bunch ramps (8 to 10 stalks)
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pack 6-inch corn tortillas
1/2 cup guacamole (homemade or store-bought)

Instructions

Clean the ramps and dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel. Separate the leaves from the bulbs. Finely chop the bulbs. The leaves can stay whole or you can roughly chop them.
Heat the black beans in a small pot over medium heat. Stir in the cumin and salt and heat for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
In a dry skillet, heat up the corn tortillas, about 30 to 60 seconds on each side, using tongs to flip them over. (I usually just use 1 tortilla per taco, but if yours are on the flimsier side, use 2 per taco.)
In the same skillet, add the oil and swirl to coat the base. Add the ramp bulbs and cook for about 1 minute. Add the ramp leaves and cook for another 30 seconds. Turn off the heat.
Assemble the tacos by adding some black beans, guacamole and sautéed ramps to each. Serve and enjoy!