We seem to be on
a vegetable streak here at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. Whatever I was going to
write about this week went flying out of my head when I spotted a package of
fiddlehead ferns at my local market.
I bet a lot of
you are now scratching your heads and saying, she's gone flipping crazy and is
chewing on the foliage. Not so, I assure
you.
Fiddlehead ferns
unfurl themselves in spring in New England, and they have an exceedingly short
life (they keep unrolling until they become ferns, and then they aren't as
edible unless you really are into foliage).
You have a window of about two weeks to find and enjoy them.
I first
encountered them during an indulgent luncheon with my husband at the famed
French restaurant Lutèce in New York, alas now closed (since 2004). Then there was a long spell with no
sightings, until they appeared as if by magic in our market one year and I
seized upon them, and have kept my eye open for them ever since.
Since they are
available for such a short time, there is a dearth of recipes available for
them. What is more peculiar is that
among many of the online recipes, the authors drown their fiddleheads in
overwhelming flavors, like horseradish or mustard. Fiddleheads are shy and retiring little creatures,
similar in flavor to asparagus, so what's the point?
A pound of fiddleheads, cleaned |
The best solution
is to prepare them simply. First cut off
any brown parts of the stem and remove any brown bits of leaf, then cook. There
are a couple of options:
1. Steaming:
In a steamer set over boiling water, steam a pound of fiddleheads for
about five minutes, until they are just tender.
Drain off the water, add butter and salt, and enjoy, unadorned, as a
side dish.
After steaming (don't overcook!) |
2.
Sauteing: Melt butter in a sauté pan
over medium heat. Add the fiddleheads,
toss to coat with butter, then cover and cook gently until they are just
tender.
An alternative is
to sauté finely chopped shallots in the butter first, then add the fern heads, or if you want something
slightly stronger, minced garlic. You may also want to try a mild-flavored
olive oil.
No matter how you
prepare them, enjoy this fleeting flavor of spring! Now, if I could just find someone who sells
garlic scapes (the curly ends of hardneck garlic, which are usually cut off and
thrown away) again…or ramps (another early spring vegetable, also called a wild
leek, that has a mild onion-garlic flavor)…
Garlic scapes |
I knew what these were! But only because I was watching Chopped ;)
ReplyDeleteThere's a great Chihuly glass exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum, and he has a beautiful installation that looks like fiddlehead ferns ... wide blades of green ending in a lovely little spiral. So pretty. I wish they were available here to eat!
ReplyDeleteSheila, you're such an adventurous eater. I have never had the pleasure of trying fiddlehead ferns, but you bet I'll be on the lookout for them now.
ReplyDelete~ Krista
Sheila, you're such an adventurous eater. I have never had the pleasure of trying fiddlehead ferns, but you bet I'll be on the lookout for them now.
ReplyDelete~ Krista
We have lots of ferns here on our acreage---but I think they are so pretty at the early fiddlehead stage in early spring that I never want to cut and eat them.
ReplyDeleteWe have some handsome ferns, but I think they're the wrong kind (they look different when they're coming up). I'd be afraid to try random ones.
ReplyDeleteThey were still in the store this week--I may try for a vinaigrette or some kind of quick pickle recipe.
Garlic Scapes are sold by Two Sisters Garlic in Canterbury, NH...I think you can order online....Dee
ReplyDelete