Three-way

For any chef who pays attention to what’s in season, nothing is quite as exciting as receiving a shipment of ramps. As the first crop to sprout from the earth after the frost thaws, they’re “the first real expression of springtime,” chef Paul Virant says. At Virant’s restaurant Vie, the ramps get a quick pickling in Champagne vinegar, salt and spices before being stuffed, along with morels, into trout. “They’re really versatile,” the chef says. (4471 Lawn Ave, Western Springs, 708-246-2082.)

By the time chef Dean Zanella gets his hands on ramps, he’s “tired and frustrated with using the same root vegetables” that populate his winter menu at 312 Chicago. So he quickly sets to work braising some Wettstein Farm pork; braising the ramps in the pork’s juices; and then using the pork-ramp mixture to top potato gnocchi. Then, he eats as much as he can. “We like [ramps] for the same reason you like soft-shell crab,” he says. “They’re tasty, but they’re only available for a short period of time. So you can’t get sick of them.” (136 N LaSalle St at Randolph St, 312-696-2420.)

At Evanston’s Va Pensiero, chef Eric Hammond puts ramps to use in two ways. One is to give other ingredients (particularly soft-flavored seafood like halibut) more depth by imparting the ramps “nice oniony flavor.” The other is to use the ramps as a foil to slightly sweet flavors, such as the mascarpone filling and roasted red pepper garnish that accompanies his ramp crêpes. (Of course, the wild leeks’ third use—lending dishes a vibrant green color—doesn’t hurt.) (1566 Oak Ave, Evanston, 847-475-7779.)