The ramson (Allium ursinum, Bärlauch, bear's leek, wild garlic, ail des
ours, erba orsina, etc.) season is nearing its end here. I have been
making salads with raw ramsons for the past two months or so.
Yesterday, I bought a few bunches and cooked a potato-ramson soup,
vaguely based on the recipe in _Kulinarisches rund um den Bärlauch_ by
Rolf Wieprecht. Ramsons should be cooked very briefly, if at all, lest
they lose much of their taste and aroma. Ramsons are native to Europe
and Asia, but not to America and are unlikely to be available there.
From what I gather, ramps (Allium tricoccum), which are native to
America, will probably provide an adequate substitution.

I planned to blend the soup, but then decided to leave it chunky. The
soup turned out to be very nice. Blutwurst is a bonus; the soup is nice
enough on its own, too. Amounts are approximate.

Kartoffel-Bärlauch-Süppchen
Potato-ramson soup

1 small onion, finely chopped
oil for frying (I used a mix of first-press sunflower oil and
extra-virgin olive oil)
3 small potatoes, cubed (small cubes)
1.5 l (1.5 quarts) vegetable stock
150 g (5.3 oz) ramson, finely chopped
3 smallish button mushrooms, sliced
150 g crème fraîche
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
a few slices of Blutwurst (blood sausage; black pudding)
flour

Fry the onions in oil until transparent. Add the mushrooms, salt and
pepper and fry a little longer, turning the mushrooms over.

Add the potatoes, pour in the stock, bring to the boil and cook over
medium-low heat until the potatoes are almost ready.

Add the green mountain of chopped ramsons and cook a bit longer. Stir
in the crème fraîche. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Meanwhile, roll the Blutwurst slices in flour, and fry them lightly in
oil. Serve the soup in plates or bowls with the Blutwurst slices on
top.

Victor