How To Cook Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads! They’re everywhere right now! At the farmer’s market, on farmstands and even in grocery stores. The arrival of fiddleheads signals that summer is almost here in Maine and soon…so soon…it’ll be warm enough to swim in the lake. My swimsuit is on high alert…

Fresh fiddleheads cooked in a lemon butter draped with prosciutto by MainelyEating.com

I remember our very first summer in Maine and coming across these somewhat freaky looking green things at the farm stand and having no idea how to cook them. If you’re a fiddlehead first timer, here’s what you need to know:

Fiddleheads are the furled (not yet opened) fronds of a young fern, specifically the Ostrich fern (a good source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids as well as iron and fibre) vs. Bracken (carcinogenic and toxic if not fully cooked!).

Back in the 1990s, raw or lightly cooked fiddleheads were implicated in a food-bourne illness outbreak and so it’s important to prepare and cook them safely.

How to cook fiddleheads:
1. Remove any residual brown papery husk
2. Wash in several changes of cold water
3. Discard any unfurled or discolored fiddleheads, they should be tightly curled and bright green
4. The official guidelines say to boil them for 15 minutes. I’m not a fan of mushy fiddleheads so I usually boil them for ~8 minutes but you should use your own judgement here in terms of risk vs. taste.

Fiddleheads have a similar texture to asparagus but without the funky asparagus taste. My favorite way to enjoy fiddleheads is to boil them and then lightly saute in a little butter with a very generous squeeze of lemon juice and pair with salty prosciutto.

Fiddleheads in Lemon Butter with Prosciutto

  • Servings: 2 people as a side or light lunch
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:
1/2lb of fiddleheads
1 tbsp butter
Juice of 1/2 lemon
6 wafer thin slices of prosciutto (~2-3oz)
Sea salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Remove any brown paper husk from the fiddleheads and discard any discoloured or unfurled ferns
2. Place a pan of water on to boil. Wash the fiddleheads with multiple rinses of cold running water
3. Add the fiddleheads to the boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes (according to health authorities) or for less time at your own risk (I usually boil for ~8 minutes but I’m not advocating this risky behaviour). The water will turn a weird brown color. I like to rinse the fiddleheads with fresh boiled water from the kettle.
4. Drain the fiddleheads in a colander. Rinse out the pan and return it to a medium heat. Add the butter, the drained fiddleheads, the lemon juice and lightly toss. Add a few good grinds of black pepper and a few pinches of sea salt (preferably Malden).
5. Place the fiddleheads on a warmed plate and drape a few slices of prosciutto alongside. Add an extra squeeze of lemon juice.

Have you ever cooked or eaten fiddleheads? What did you think? I’m also super excited to see ramps at the market and plan on pickling them to last through the summer! Fiddleheads cooked in a lemon butter with prosciutto by MainelyEating.com

Riffs on avocado toast

Avocado toast with different topping ideasWhat can possibly be written about avocado toast that hasn’t already been written elsewhere? Along with smoothie bowls, poke, cupcakes and pizza, it’s one of the most popular foods on Instagram. Avocado toast also been named the most annoying food in Instagram 😉

At it’s most basic, you just mash or slice half an avocado onto a slice of toast. Boom. To prevent the avocado browning too quickly and to brighten up the flavor I like to squeeze in the juice of half a lime, Maldon sea salt, pepper and a tiny splash of good olive oil. Maybe some red pepper flakes if I’m feeling spicy.

basic avocado toast

  • Servings: 1 piece of toast
  • Difficulty: ridiculously easy
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Ingredients:
Your choice of toasted bread
1/2 ripe avocado
1 lime
1 tsp good olive oil
Salt (preferably Maldon sea salt) & Pepper (preferably fresh ground black pepper)

Directions:
1. Scoop the avocado flesh out of the skin (remove the pit)
2. Squeeze in as much or as little lime juice as you like, I like mine fairly citrusy so I usually use the juice of half a lime
3. Add the olive oil, sprinkle of salt and pepper
4. Mash the avocado with a fork – as smooth or as chunky as you like
5. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed
6. Spread on hot toast (or bread or crackers)
7. Add additional toppings – see topping ideas below

Different ideas for avocado toast toppings
If you’re an avocado toast aficionado, here are a few topping suggestions to take your toast to the next level. And of course, you can easily combine toppings – red onion, tomato and cayenne and you’re almost at guacamole toast!

Avocado toast topping ideas (from left to right by row):
1. Slices of red fresno chili
2. Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
3. Sliver of jalapeno
4. Diced red onion
5. Sweet cherry tomato
6. Maldon sea salt and pink peppercorns
7. Drops of sriracha
8. Extra lime juice
9. Crunchy red radish

Did I mention avocado is good for you? Half an avocado contains around 150 calories but most of that is made up of heart-healthy, cholesterol-lowering monounsaturated fat.

And….because it’s Cinco de Mayo tomorrow and maybe you’ll have a few avocados laying around after making your toast, here’s a bonus recipe – my favorite chunky guacamole recipe:Chunky fresh guacamole with hot chile

Think of this as a loose starting point. If you’re a huge onion fan, add more! If you can’t stand cilantro (me!), then skip it. If you like a mild guacamole, skip the fresh chile or maybe just add a little mild anaheim chile. If you like it hot then graduate to a jalapeno or even habanero. Check out the range of heat in various chiles here.

Quick and Chunky Guacamole

  • Servings: 4 as a snack
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:
2 perfectly ripe avocados
2 limes (ideally at room temperature for more juice)
1-2 garlic cloves – crushed in garlic press or finely sliced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely diced red onion
1 tomato diced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Your choice of fresh chile – anaheim, serrano, jalapeno, habanero
Small bunch of cilantro (if you like it) – washed and finely chopped

If you want a more authentic approach then you’d want to get your hands on a molcajete (a large pestle and mortar made of volcanic rock) to grind your garlic, salt and onion into a paste, but this is the quick and easy version so…

Directions:
1. With the palm of your hands, roll the limes back and forth on the counter a few times, this will give you more juice. Cut the limes in half and squeeze all the juice into a bowl.
2. Cut the avocado in half lengthways, remove the pit. Scoop out the avocado flesh and add it to the lime juice. You’ll have giant chunks of avocado at this point. Toss in the lime juice to prevent browning.
3. Add the minced garlic, diced tomato, red onion, cayenne pepper, salt, and cilantro (reserve a little cilantro for garnish)
4. Finely chop the fresh chile if using. Use gloves if you have them or even a fork to hold your chile while you chop it (if you have chile oils on your fingers and then touch your eyes or mouth you will be in pain!), remove the seeds (unless you REALLY like heat) and add to bowl.
5. Toss ingredients and then use a sharp knife to loosely chop the avocado while in the mix, I like fairly big chunks, if you want a smoother guacamole you can use a fork to mash.
6. Taste the guacamole and adjust to your taste – more salt? more cayenne? Transfer into serving dish and sprinkle with extra cilantro.

Serve with warm corn tortilla chips. Ideally you’ll want to eat the guacamole immediately. If you need to eat it a little later you can cover the surface tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Note that the heat from the chile will intensify the longer you leave it. You can also save one of the avocado pits and add it to the guacamole to (allegedly) reduce browning, remember to remove it before serving!

Quick and easy chunky guacamole with warm corn tortilla chips

Perfect with a cold cerveza or margarita!

Kale, chickpea and lemon quinoa salad

I work from home and when my tummy starts to rumble or I need a break from the computer, I’ll wander into the kitchen, open up the fridge and stare blankly at the contents. Being that I do all of the grocery shopping, I don’t know why I live in hope of finding a surprise magical food container of deliciousness from the fridge fairy.
Vegetarian kale, chickpea and lemon quinoa recipe

But nope, there’s usually just ingredients to make dinner and a couple of lonely babybel cheeses in their shiny red wrappers. I’m a huge fan of Food52, and their “Not Sad Desk Lunch” campaign motivated me to stop the fridge staring, stop eating goldfish crackers for lunch and start making a little more effort.

Last week I embarked on a week-long “not sad desk lunch” mission and it was remarkably easy. Read all the way to the end for the rather delicious lemon, kale and chickpea quinoa recipe that I hope you make for your own lunch!

Monday’s lunch was leftovers. I’d been up in Vermont photographing a winter wedding and so Paul made himself a Thai-style yellow curry with chicken and cauliflower. There was just enough left for me to reheat with some sticky rice. Paul has a limited but remarkably eclectic recipe repertoire – Beef Wellington, Apple Crisp, Duckfat-roasted Potatoes and Thai green or yellow curry.
Thai yellow curry bowl with sticky white rice

On Tuesday I raided the fridge for a quick and easy lunch of cheese, soppressata picante and crackers. Taking just a few extra minutes to add some olives and salty date and almond crackers made it feel not very sad at all.
Cheese plate with soppressata, olives and rainforest crisp crackers in salty date and almond

After Tuesday’s cheesefest, something more austere was in order. A simple salad of baby salad leaves with vinaigrette, parmesan shavings and pine nuts felt just right.
Baby salad leaves with vinaigrette, parmesan shavings and pine nuts

The lure of the cheese draw called to me again on Thursday. A snowy-white soft goat cheese from Seal Cove Farms in Maine studded with jewel-like blueberries whispered “Leah….Leah….” I spread it generously on thick slices of toasted bread with a little drizzle of honey.
Seal cove farms goat cheese with blueberries spread on toasted crostini and drizzled with honey

I ended the week with this fluffy, lemony quinoa studded with protein-packed chickpeas and baby kale leaves. Because if it contains kale it must be healthy right?Recipe for lemony quinoa with baby kale and chickpeas - vegetarian and healthy

Kale, Chickpea and Lemon Quinoa Salad

  • Servings: 2-4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients:

2 cups quinoa
Scant 4 cups water or unsalted chicken broth (for more flavor)
1 lemon – juiced and zested
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cups baby kale leaves (or grown-up kale leaves roughly chopped)
1 cup chickpeas (if canned, rinse thoroughly or cook according to package directions)

Directions:

  1. Cook the quinoa according to the package directions reducing the water recommendations by 1/4 cup and replacing with the fresh lemon juice. Tips on cooking fluffy quinoa here.
  2. Take the pan off the heat, fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork and add the olive oil, the lemon zest and salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Add the baby kale and chickpeas, toss gently to combine. Enjoy!

Do you eat your lunch at your desk? In an office cafeteria? Are you a lady-who-lunches? What’s your favorite lunch?