Saturday, May 22, 2010

Fiddleheads, Eggs and Pasta


I picked up some fiddleheads at the market last Saturday. What I really wanted to do was get some from the woods myself. Last year I didn't buy them. I refused to pay five dollars a pound for something I could forage myself. But alas I never made it to the woods in time and the moment passed me by. This year I broke down and bought some- just a half a pound so we could get a taste. People say it tastes like asparagus and it pretty much does but it tastes a little more fresh, a little more green.  We enjoyed it but I think I would find it more irresistable if I could forage it myself.

Fiddleheads, Egg and Pasta

1/2 pound fiddleheads
2 cloves garlic
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1/4 cup peccorino romano cheese
two tablespoons olive oil, some for frying and some for drizzling
pasta cooked, about two cups of cooked pasta
one egg per serving- for us that was two as this was our dinner

While boiling the pasta, saute garlic and onion in a frying pan. Add the fiddleheads when the onions become soft. Saute until tender. Ladle in a some pasta water- about 3/4 of a cup and continue to cook the fiddleheads. When they are tender, place pasta in pan and mix all together. Spoon into a serving bowl or individual bowls. In the same frying pan cook the eggs, over easy. Slide the egg onto the serving bowl. Each person can stir in their own egg. This is absolutely creamy. A little drizzle of olive oil and light sprinkling of peccorino romano.

12 comments:

ann low said...

Never heard of fiddleheads before. Hope to take a closer look :)

Shelly said...

Someday I'll be brave enough to snip a few fiddleheads off my ferns...maybe I should plant a fern grotto and sell them at the farmers market!

Mary Bergfeld said...

This is a lovely recipe, Lori. Fiddleheads are a lovely, if expensive, treat. I also love ramps. I mention that because we usually find the two growing near each other. Such a short season! I guess we'd take them for granted if they were always available. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

Ingrid_3Bs said...

LOL, forage for yourself. Your a brave, brave soul Lori! I'm kinda scared of the woods. I don't even like the grass. :)
~ingrid

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Btw, I love the music you had playing.
~ingrid

PJ said...

i have been looking for fiddleheads to show up in my local farmer's market but somehow they never did. pasta looks like a delicious way to use them.

grace said...

i don't know the first thing about fiddlehead preparation, but they're certainly awesome to look at and exceedingly photogenic. this sounds like a great dish, lori--bravo!

Joanne said...

When I first had them, I thought they tasted like a cross between asparagus and okra...certainly delicious in their own right! I love this pasta, especially the egg that it's topped with.

Kris Bryant said...

This sounds fabulous, Lori - I'm bookmarking it for next year. I tried fiddleheads for the first time last spring - I look forward to trying this.

kat said...

I had fiddleheads last year for the first time on a crab sandwich & they were so tasty. Hey, how many eggs does this dish need? They recipe doesn't list them in the ingredients.

Lori said...

Kat- Thank you for pointing that out.

Murasaki Shikibu said...

Fiddleheads are common in Japan, but I have never seen them in Southern Spain. I tried out one recipe with crispy bacon (because Japanese recipes are quite plain), but I don't remember how I made it exactly. This was more than 10 years ago. I love your pasta recipe. Sounds great!