Fiddlehead Fern Soup Recipes

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.

FIDDLEHEAD FERN SOUP

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Add the fiddleheads, return to a boil and cook until they are almost tender and turn pale green, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Coarsely chop and reserve.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they become translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the fiddleheads and chicken stock.
• Stir, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil.
• Cover and cook until the fiddleheads are thoroughly tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add the milk, reduce the heat to medium, and heat until nearly boiling.
• Do not let the soup boil or the milk will curdle.
• Stir in the lemon zest and season the soup to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide the soup into four bowls, garnish with paprika and serve immediately.

FIDDLEHEAD SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook the fiddleheads, mushrooms, leeks and onions in butter until the onions are tender, about 4 minutes. , Stir in the flour, salt and cayenne. Gradually add the milk and broth, stirring until blended. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 10 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until heated through. Stir in lemon juice.

FIDDLEHEAD FERNS

Steps:

• Before you're ready to cook cut about 1/8-inch off the thick ends if they look brown and rinse the fern shoots thoroughly to get rid of the brown fuzzy chaff that clings to their sides. Dry the shoots thoroughly before cooking by first spinning them in a lettuce spinner and then patting them with paper towels. Melt butter in a pan at medium heat. Add garlic, parsley and fiddleheads to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute for 5 minutes or until they are done.

"CREAMY" FIDDLEHEAD SOUP

Steps:

• In a large heavy bottom saucepan, sauté onion in butter or oil until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, fiddleheads, bay leaf, and enough chicken stock to make the vegetables just swim.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and barely simmer, partially covered, for one hour. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Remove bay leaf.
• In a blender, process mixture in batches. (Can be prepared to this point a day or two ahead of time. Cool, cover and refrigerate.).
• Return mixture to saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add milk, a little at a time, until it reaches the consistency you like. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in heated soup bowls, garnish as desired.

SAUTEED FIDDLEHEAD FERNS

Steps:

• Remove the dry, sheathlike papery particles from the fiddleheads. Fill a medium bowl with cool water; add 1 teaspoon salt and the lemon juice. Add ferns, and push them down into the water several times to clean them. Transfer to paper towel to drain.
• On a steamer rack set over an inch of water in a saucepan, steam fiddleheads, covered, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fiddleheads, and cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until golden. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.