Spring Fiddleheads And Sweet Peppers Recipes

SPRING LINGUINE

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, remove the papery particles from the fiddleheads. Fill a medium bowl with cool water; add 1 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice. Add the fiddleheads, and push them down into the water several times to clean them. Transfer them to a steamer rack in a saucepan and steam, covered, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until soft. Add the fiddleheads and cook 1 to 2 minutes more, until warm and golden. Stir in the dandelion greens. Toss the mixture with the pasta, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

SPRING FIDDLEHEAD PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until very al dente, about 9 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
• Combine the ricotta, lemon zest and a few grinds of black pepper in small bowl and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter begins to foam, add the fiddleheads and sprinkle with pepper and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring gently, until the fiddleheads are crisp-tender and caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the fiddleheads to a bowl. Add the lemon juice, cooked pasta and reserved water to the skillet and return to medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens slightly and the pasta is al dente. Add the ricotta mixture and lightly toss until the pasta is just coated.
• Divide the pasta among 4 bowls and top with the fiddleheads and a few grinds of black pepper.

COUNTRY SAUTEED FIDDLEHEADS

Steps:

• Rinse fiddleheads thoroughly; trim stems. Soak in cold salted water for 5 minutes; rinse again.
• Place fiddleheads in a large skillet; pour in enough water to cover and bring fiddleheads to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes; drain.
• Melt butter in same skillet over medium low heat; stir in fiddleheads and toss to coat. Cook fiddleheads until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir vinegar into fiddleheads; season with salt and pepper.

CREAM OF FIDDLEHEAD SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat until foamy, about 1 minute. Stir in onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
• Pour 4 cups chicken stock into the onion mixture, and bring to a full boil; stir in fiddleheads, carrot, and potato. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Blend soup until smooth with a hand blender. Stir in cream; cook and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste soup, and stir in Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. If you prefer a thinner soup, add additional chicken stock up to 2 cups. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with Cheddar cheese.