soupnancy

What's cooking - The ingredient:  Fiddleheads!

The season kicked off the first week of May, and now it’s peaking, I have hundreds of pounds in my fridge, I’m pumped, overwhelmed to be honest. I will be cooking them in a myriad of ways in the weeks to come. Because it’s early in the season, and green is fresh and exciting, I will tend towards cold, light and fresh recipes, but the truth is I like them better cooked, even a long time(!), or pickled. As a cook, keeping a green vegetable crisp and bright green is something that has been ingrained in me, but I have since come to appreciate the long cooked green, a different flavour all together, more deeply savoury and long en bouche (unami rich I'm sure). Think sag aloo or sag paneer or stewed collard greens. I’m still timid in serving them this way at the restaurant, but at
cleaned fiddleheads
Fiddlheads and hamhome I’m sold. When you’re sweating them in butter maybe with some garlic and tamari or meat jus, just let them go a little longer, you’ll see. Or try the old Quebecois recipe below, and let it cook some after reheating. They are also great in a punchy vinaigrette, although again the colour goes if you toss them in sauce early; but if you sauce à la minute, the taste doesn't penetrate, so somewhere in between is best, say 20 minutes before serving. Fresh fiddle talk aside, it’s time for me to get preserving. Mason jars of my pickled fiddleheads will soon be available at the market (alongside the fresh of course). 

François told me that from his two days at the market, he has gathered that most people don't know how to cook fiddleheads (some reaching for them raw - a no no!) despite them being a popular rite of spring, which of course is why a few morons get sick every year, and the government issues an annual warning, advising people to cook them 15 minutes.  This long cooking is hardly necessary especially if you get them from a good source, but in any case, a first cooking in boiling water is a must.  We do a double blanch (2-3 minutes each time), changing the water in between.  Refresh and they are ready to cook or eat.  Proceed to sweat them in butter with garlic and seasonings of choice, or to dress in vinaigrette to serve cold.

Quail and fiddlheads, wild ginger and sesame

Piglet loin, fiddlheads with ham, Rassambleu potato cake

nordic shrimp, fiddleheads, wild ginger, sesame

My two favourite recipes for fiddleheads – oh so simple..

Fiddleheads in an Asian inspired vinaigrette

with wild ginger mustard, chili and sesame

Yield: 8 servings

6 c (1 lb) Fiddleheads, cleaned and double blanched

Vinaigrette

1 French shallot, minced

30 ml wild ginger mustard (or 1 tsp minced ginger and 15 ml Dijon )

1 tsp minced garlic

1 red pepper, finely diced

30 ml Tamari

50 ml cider or rice wine vinegar

30 ml maple syrup

10 ml toasted sesame oil

125 ml olive oil

s.q. salt, pepper

s.q. chilli paste

Garnish:

2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method:

1. Clean fiddleheads, removing dark tip. Blanch twice in lots of boiling salted water for 2 minutes each time. Refresh each time. Reserve.

2. Make vinaigrette by blending all ingredients.

3. Toss fiddleheads with vinaigrette and sesame seeds and serve. As an accompaniment or entrée. Would go with tofu, shrimp or seafood, chicken duck or pork..

Façon Bas du Fleuve (ie long cooked with salt pork and onion)

(adapted from Yves Cloutier’s family recipe)

8 portions

1lb (6c) fiddleheads

1 chopped onion

1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay, parsley and/or celery leaf)

1 c salt pork strips (200g)

2 c water or chicken stock

s.q. salt, pepper

Method:

1. Wash fiddleheads well in several changes of water, trim ends.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add fiddleheads and blanch once for 2-3 minutes, chill in ice water.

3. Meanwhile, bring the onion, water, bouquet garni and salt pork to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the fiddleheads, turn off the heat and let sit overnight. Refrigerate.

4. Shred the salt pork or remove, reheat and serve.