Fiddleheads: Annual Indulgence

When fiddleheads appear in the springtime, they are inviting with their cute little curls, deeply green coloring and special weirdness. Their houseplant coils whisper healthy, exotic and super-nutritious. Their price screams exclusive, indulgent and uber-foodie. The message they send is all “you really gotta be in the “know” of the food world to enter fiddlehead territory.”

So, once a year, I ignore the ridiculously high-price per pound and scoop a big handful of fiddleheads into a bag and think, “This is going to be epic.” Fiddleheads are fun, but to the point of @wanderingvan1 on @CookingwKimi Instagram, brussel sprouts and asparagus are just as tasty, if not more.

Still, I will indulge in these once a year and take pretty pictures of them because they are not just fun, they are indeed, very photogenic. Pair them up with some spiraly pasta, as I do in this recipe, and you get a lot of twisty goodness.

Don’t hesitate to substitute brussel sprouts or asparagus or any number of flavorful vegetables such as beets, broccoli, cauliflower or, one of my personal favorites, sliced radishes for the fiddleheads and save yourself some dollars in the process. However, don’t skimp on those fancy oyster mushrooms unless it’s to substitute other fancy mushrooms because they are absolutely worth every penny.

Fiddlehead and Oyster Mushroom Pasta for Two

Ingredients

6 ounces dried pasta (I used Cavatappi, but spirals, rotini, elbows or even speghetti work just fine)

1/4 lb thickcut, uncured bacon (4-5 slices)

1/4 lb fiddleheads, rinsed and trimmed

1/2 sweet onion, vadalia if available

2 cloves garlic

5-6 leave lacinato kale (aka dino kale)

1/2 teaspoon fine kosher salt

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 lb oyster mushrooms

8 ounces crimini, shitake, portabello or white mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon fine kosher salt

1/2 cup fresh ricotta

2 medium tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried tarragon (1 tablespoon of using fresh)

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

1 lemon

Instructions

1. Dice the bacon. Rinse the fiddleheads and snip the dry end off with kitchen scissors. Finely chop the onion and garlic. Stem the kale and roughly chop. Brush and trim the base from the oyster and crimini mushrooms and chop finely. Separate the caps and cut into bite-sized pieces. Large dice the tomato. Zest and juice the lemon. Measure and prep remaining ingredients.

Note: While I possess the skills to quickly chop up onions, garlic and kale, for home cooking, I often lean on my mini chopper attachment for my immersion blender to do the job.

2. While cooking the vegetables, cook the pasta in well-deserved water per the package instructions. When done, reserve 2 cups of the cooking water and drain.
3. In a large saute pan, heat the bacon over medium heat until cooked, but not yet crispy. Remove the bacon pieces leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
4. Add the onion and garlic to the bacon fat. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent.
5. Add the fiddleheads, kale and salt to the onions and garlic. Saute, stirring frequently until the kale is whilted and the fiddlegeads are tender, but still bright green and crisp. Remove the vegetables from the pan. Set aside.

Note: I cook different ingredients here separately then recombine them later in the interest of keeping them pretty and preserving texture. If you are in a hurry, all the vegetables can go in sequentially.

6. Melt and spread the butter in the warm pan. Add the mushrooms, stems and salt. To brown the mushrooms well, cook them in batches adding more butter as needed between batches. Allow the mushrooms to simmer in the butter for several minutes to brown
7. Once the mushrooms are brown and starting to release their liquid, add the ricotta and tarragon. Stir to coat
8. Return the fiddlehead mixture to the pan with the mushrooms and combine.
9. Add the cooked pasta to the pan. Combine. Add 1/2 cup of reserved liquid and stir to combine. The remaining liquid may be used if more liquid is needed to thin.
10. Add tomatoes and cooked bacon.
11. Stir in tarragon, salt and pepper.
12. Remove from heat. Stir in zest and juice of lemon.
13. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired.

Happy cooking and fiddlheading!