By Seth Fera-Schanes

Serving size: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5-8 minutes

Ingredients
1-1.5 lb – pork tenderloin
Freshly cracked pepper
Salt
1-2 bunches of ramps (wild leeks)

Directions:

Pork:

Freshly crack pepper on a plate (about 2 tbsp or enough to coat the pork.)  Gently roll pork over plate to get an even crust of pepper.

With a sharp knife, cut pork into 1 inch thick medallions.  Add a little salt to taste on each side of pork medallions.

On a grill over medium heat (or grill pan if indoors) add pork medallions cut side down.  Cook for approximately 3-4 minutes per side or until juices run clear.  Remove and set aside.

Ramps:

Thoroughly wash ramps and cut off just the roots.  You can eat the green leaves and white part at the bottom.

When pork has about 2 minutes left to cook, add ramps and cook for approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute then flip and cook for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minutes.  You want the ramps to start to wilt and get grill marks.  Do not char.  Remove and set aside.

To plate:

Add 3-5 grilled ramps flat on a plate and top with two pieces of pepper crusted pork.

Concept behind the dish

I wanted to find a limited set of ingredients that paired well together.  The pork has a natural sweetness which is cut with the bold pepper crust.  The ramps round the dish out and are a nice way to introduce someone to a new ingredient.

The key to this dish is simplicity.