Fiddle-dee-dee

I wouldn't always go near fiddleheads. They were, most definitely, on my list of avoidables growing up. I remember my mom bringing them home, all excited about the fresh, springiness of them. In those days, anything that closely resembling something from the garden garnered skepticism from my picky, young self.

Nowadays, no convincing is required; in May, I’m actively on the lookout for fiddleheads, and they can pretty easily be found at this time of year -- when we're drowning in the riches of asparagus and spring greens -- at farmers' markets.

As with asparagus, the season for fiddleheads is short. They are, after all, the tightly-curled, newly unfurling heads of the ostrich fern. Leave those ferns any longer and you'll have plants, not fiddleheads. The croziers, as they're otherwise known, are typically collected in the wild and found in coastal areas (big on the east coast), although, these days, farmers are beginning to grow them commercially, too.

Fiddleheads aren't meant to be eaten raw. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency wants you to wash them in several changes of cold water, remove all of the brown, papery husk, and boil them for 15 minutes or steam them for 10 to 12 minutes before eating them. This is because, back in the '90s, there were a number of food poisoning cases related to fiddlehead-eating; scientists believe there's a naturally-occuring plant toxin there that can be killed off by heat.

Hopefully I haven't turned you off of these little green beauties. They're perfectly safe to eat; I'm seven months pregnant and have no intention of abstaining.

Fiddleheads are a natural partner to lemon and are a natural fit in pretty much any recipe that calls for asparagus.
Last year I made these Italian-style fiddleheads one night and clearly remember thinking that the recipe, from Lucy Waverman's Lucy's Kitchen, was a definite keeper. Don't be put off by the anchovies. The recipe doesn't taste fishy; the chopped fillets just give the greens a salty fullness that you simply won't get if you omit them. You can use oil-packed or dry sundried tomatoes, but beware of some of the commercial oil-packed varieties as they're insanely salty. In that case, a quick rinse might not be out of the question before you chop.

Trim the brown ends off the fiddleheads and you'll be left with little circles. There are a few tricks for getting the brown husks off; try putting your fiddleheads in a paper bag and shaking it up or whirling them around in a lettuce spinner. Follow this with several washes.

You may notice this recipe doesn't have you boiling the fiddleheads for 15 minutes, as per the CFIA's recommendations. I've followed this recipe's cooking times exactly and have lived to tell about it but I'll leave it up to you as to whether or not you want to exercise more caution.

Waverman suggests fiddleheads done in this style can either be eaten as a side dish or tossed with short pasta for a meal. Mixed with some quinoa or couscous, it would make for a yummy and healthy lunch, too.

Sauteed Fiddleheads Italian Style

8 oz fiddleheads, washed well

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp chopped garlic

1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes

2 tbsp chopped anchovy fillets

pinch chili flakes

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add fiddleheads and boil four to five mnutes or until tender-crisp. Refresh under cold water until cool and drain well. 

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, tomatoes and anchovies. Saute for about one minute or until garlic is softened. Stir in fiddleheads and chili flakes and cook until fiddleheads have absorbed flavours, about two minutes. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper only if needed.