Fiddleheads?

Fiddleheads? I remember watching my grandmother walking around our backyard picking mushrooms, ferns and dandelions every chance she got. She would rush back to the kitchen and make some of the most “delicious” soups, pizzas and sandwiches known to man, or at least my family. She was famous among the grandchildren for her love of vegetables and foraging trips into the backyard. I don’t recommend that anyone eat anything they pick out of woods behind their house, especially if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Many ferns and mushrooms are poisonous. I’m not even quite sure if my grandmother new what she was doing or if she was just lucky. Anyway, last week before the local grocery store flooded along with many other homes and business in my town I found one of her all time favorite veggies.

Fiddleheads are the curly top of the Ostrich fern and are a bit difficult to come by if they aren’t harvested in your region. They are only available in early spring and are very perishable. A bit or controversy surrounds these asparagus tasting spouts. When not cooked properly they have been known to cause food-born illness. If they are cleaned and cooked thoroughly they are perfectly safe. Illness has only been reported to occur when fiddleheads are eaten raw or lightly cooked (parboiled, sautéed, or “microwaved”) Just be sure to brush out and remove the brown scales, wash them well, and either boil them for 10 minutes or steam them for 20. They can eaten countless ways and the New Englanders “in the know” often freeze and pickle them for use in the later months. Personally I love them in salads, soups and sautés (sauté only after boiled or steamed).

If you can find them buy them; for they are cheap, simple and tasty. My favorite way to enjoy them is below…My grandmother always taught me simple is best.

Fiddleheads Sautéed with Garlic and Red Onion

Ingredients:
1 to 2 lbs of Fiddleheads
½ ++ Cup Diced Red Onion
2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBS Unsalted Butter
3 or 4 Cloves of Garlic Minced
Juice of ½ a Lemon
Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to Taste

Preparation:
Brush out and remove the brown scales, cut off the very tip of the curl and wash thoroughly.
Boil fiddleheads in lightly salted water for 10 minutes.
Remove to an ice water bath to stop cooking, drain and dry well.
Add olive oil and butter to a hot sauté pan
Sauté red onions until soft and lightly browned about 4 minutes
Add Garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes
Add fiddleheads and sauté until coated in oil and hot (3 or 4 minutes)
Remove from heat and toss with fresh lemon juice
Season to taste with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
Serve with hard crust Italian bread and a cold larger

Old Lady this one’s for you…