Who thinks that they will learn about new vegetables by simply crossing provinces? Not this girl! But when I traveled to New Brunswick I saw a ton of signs with an odd looking Plant on them. Nothing else. Just an odd plant. Of course Google is the new encyclopedia, so I took to my #1 info source for the answer. I googled ‘what is the weird plant on the signs in New brunswick?’. My first result was a CBC article “How confusing are the road signs in NB”. Reading through I discovered the name of the plant was the edible ‘fiddlehead’, which led me to my next search - ‘what the eff is a fiddlehead?’. Here is what Professor Google had to say:
Fiddleheads or fiddlehead greens are the furled fronds of a young fern, harvested for use as a vegetable. Left on the plant, each fiddlehead would unroll into a new frond (circinate vernation). As fiddleheads are harvested early in the season before the frond has opened and reached its full height, they are cut fairly close to the ground. Fiddleheads have antioxidant activity, are a source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and are high in iron and fibre. Certain varieties of fiddleheads have been shown to be carcinogenic. (See bracken poisoning)The fiddlehead resembles the curled ornamentation (called a scroll) on the end of a stringed instrument, such as a violin. It is also called a crozier, after the curved staff used by bishops, which has its origins in the shepherd’s crook.
BUT! I heard they are incredibly hard to get ready for Cooking. Being a lazy cook I started to lose interest….but at my son’s insistence and curiosity I followed these instructions:
With a brush, carefully remove brown scales then wash well under cold running water to remove dirt before cooking; (may have to wash several times) trim woody stems. Boil fiddleheads in lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes (or steam for 20 minutes.)
Now what? Now what the heck do I do with these things? I did the following, and it was/is absolutely delicious!
Ingredients:
½ pound pasta
4 slices Bacon (cut into ½ inch slices)
1 cup fiddleheads (trimmed, well cleaned and boiled for 5 minutes)
1 ramp/wild leak or 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
pepper to taste
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup parmigiano reggiano
1 handful parsley (chopped)
Directions
:
1. Start cooking the pasta as directed on the package.
2. Cook the bacon in a pan and set aside.
3. Drain all but a tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pan.
4. Add the fiddleheads, ramp and pepper, toss to coat and saute for a few minutes.
5. Mix the egg yolks, heavy cream and parmigiano reggiano in a large bowl.
6. Drain the cooked pasta reserving some of the water.
7. Add the pasta to the pan and toss.
8. Remove the pan from the heat, wait for the sizzling to stop and pour the pasta into the bowl with the egg mixture.
9. Add a bit of the pasta water and toss to coat.
CAREFUL BEFORE YOU PICK YOUR OWN! SOME FIDDLEHEADS ARE COMPLETE SHIT AND POISONOUS!! As I said, a little lazy, so I bought mine at the City Market.
Oh, and if you are wondering why the New Brunswickers ‘plant’ signs everywhere - it is used to signal the River Valley Scenic Drive along the western part of the province.
