Wild Garlic Pasta

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound of dried pasta
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup of chopped wild garlic leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

1. Rinse the wild garlic leaves, or ramps, and dry them well, then give the leaves a rough chop. You’re aiming for 1 1/2 to 2 cups, kept loose rather than packed down. If ramps are what you have, cut away the thicker bulbs before you chop the greens, and let those bulbs start cooking in the skillet before the leaves, because they need more time to soften during the garlic-cooking step.
2. Set a generous pot of salted water over high heat and bring it to a boil.
3. In a large skillet, warm the oil. Once the oil is hot, stir in the wild garlic, then season with salt and pepper.
4. At the same time, put the pasta into the boiling water. As it cooks, keep the garlic moving around the skillet until it turns tender and slumps down.
5. As soon as the pasta is ready, drain it thoroughly, then add it to the skillet and toss it with the garlic.
6. Spoon the pasta into 4 bowls. If you like, finish each bowl with a little more olive oil and an extra pinch of salt.