All day Monday the temperatures were an unlikely — and broiling — ninety degrees, so cooking up a ramp risotto with my foraged green treasures did not appeal. Turning on any heat-generating appliance did not appeal, unless that appliance was outdoors, and luckily, we had such an appliance. Dinner Monday night belonged to the “toss-it-in-olive-oil-and-grill-the-shit-out-of-it” school of cooking, this time, applied to some asparagus, mushrooms, and whatever else we had taking up space in the refrigerator. The ramps waited patiently for their due.

By Tuesday evening, a cool breeze had started blowing over the mountains and it seemed reasonable to want to cook again. Besides, we had some asparagus left over from the night before, and those ramps weren’t getting any younger. It was still relatively warm, however, and a soupy risotto didn’t sound quite right. But a light, springy dish of pasta, doused in olive oil and pecorino romano, fit the bill perfectly.

Linguine Rigate with Ramps and Asparagus

This is the kind of quick and dirty recipe that can take a lot of fiddling around, so if you don’t have what’s here, play with similar ingredients and see what you come up with. Just about any long, thin pasta will do, but the ribbed linguine is nice for picking up the light sauce. Whole wheat breadcrumbs are easy to make — toss of a couple of stale old pieces of bread in a food processor and whir for a minute.

1/2 lb. linguine rigate
a big fistful of ramps, washed well, bulbs and stems chopped, leaves sliced in quarters
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut in two-inch pieces
1/4 c. chives, minced
red pepper flakes
olive oil
salt
1/4 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
shaved pecorino romano, at least 1/2 c.

To cook the pasta, bring a pot of salted water to boil (maybe not as much as you think). When it has reached a boil, add the linguine and cook for 6-7 minutes, then drain, reserving about a half-cup of cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, add two big glugs of olive oil to a large saucepan and heat until just about to smoke. Take the pan from the heat and add the ramp bulbs, cooking for a minute or two before returning the pan to medium heat. Add the asparagus and garlic, and cook for another two minutes over medium heat, stirring regularly. Add the ramp leaves last, stirring for another minute, then sprinkle in a pinch of red pepper flakes (or more, if you’re spicy like that) and add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the ramps and asparagus pan from heat again and add the cooked pasta, tossing well with tongs to coat the pasta with garlicky oil. If the pasta is a little dry, add some of the pasta cooking water to loosen it up. Throw in the chives and shaved pecorino. Finally, toss the pasta with the bread crumbs, which add a crunchy bite and nutty richness to this bright, springy dish.

Serve in large bowls with more pecorino and breadcrumbs scattered on top.

Serves — let’s be realistic — two very hungry individuals, or four as a normal dinner portion.