Pickled Green Tops

How to make Pickled Green Tops Recipe - In the spring, we get as many ramps as we can find. We use them in pasta, on steaks, in salads, wherever we can. One of our favorite preparations is pickling them, and since backyard grilling season and ramp season come close together, we love these on our burgers. You can substitute scallions in this recipe, but they will not yield the same delicate garlic-onion flavor. Serve these whole or give them a rough chop and put them out as a relish.

Ingredients:

1 cup (225 g) packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon (0.9 g) cayenne pepper

1 pound (455 g) slab bacon, thick-cut

1/2 cup (160 g) maple syrup

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

Half-sheet pan, cooling racks to fit inside half-sheet pan; or 2 baking sheets with cooling racks to fit inside; disposable gloves

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, gas mark 5).In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cayenne.

Line a half-sheet pan with aluminum foil and set a cooling rack in the pan. Lay the sliced bacon on the cooling rack. Using your fingers, rub a thick layer of the brown sugar– cayenne mixture into the tops of the bacon slices. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush each slice with maple syrup. Wearing disposable gloves (the bacon is really hot and sticky at this point), turn the bacon over, sprinkle the remaining brown sugar–cayenne over the second side, and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes or until crispy. Remove and brush with the remaining maple syrup. Cool and

serve with burgers of your choice. YIELD: Enough for 4 burgers (and a bit for nibbling)

Pickled Green Tops