Roasted Asparagus and Fiddleheads with Parsnip and Sweet Potato

I had some of my favourite people over for supper last night.  Roasted Chicken is always a crowd-pleaser in my house, so we had that, and mashed potatoes, and some lovely roasted vegetables.  You may feel the same way I do about fiddleheads: I want to love them, but I need to grow up a little first.  Their incredibly short season means that I diligently give them a try, expecting rapturous delight each time.  This go-around, I decided to roast them alongside some of my favourite vegetables.  I had bought some spectacular asparagus harvested that day from Glad Gardens just outside Berwick (mine isn't quite ready yet, and I'm impatient) and I had the last of my Dad's parsnips in the fridge.  I cheated and threw in not-from-here sweet potato because I love it. Then I roasted everything with olive oil and voila: the perfect bridge between winter and spring. And I enjoyed every tightly curled emerging fern.

Roasted Spring Vegetables

1 large Sweet Potato, cut in 1" cubes
1/2 lb. Parsnips, cut in roughly 1" pieces
3 T. Olive Oil
1 t. Salt
1 lb. Asparagus, ends trimmed and cut into 1" lengths
1/2 lb. Fiddleheads, well rinsed and little brown ends trimmed off

Preheat the oven to 400.  On a cookie sheet, toss the sweet potato and parsnip with the olive oil and salt.  Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.  Take the sheet out of the oven and add the asparagus and fiddleheads to the pan.  Toss again, adding a little more oil if it looks like it needs it.  Place the vegetables back in the oven and roast for about 20-25 minutes more, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and browned.

Pre-Dinner Refreshment

Lobster and Fiddlehead Penne

There we go, once around the sun.  It's been about a year since I started this adventure, cooking and sharing recipes with you.  And now we've come full circle.  Fiddleheads are in season again, along with spring rains and the promise of summer.  Greenhouses are open, lawns are being mowed, spinach and lettuce are sprouting in the garden.

At the Union Street Cafe we've had a hectic week serving brunch to many many mothers and their families over the weekend and hosting the Lieutenant Governor (she had our Nearly Famous Fishcakes and Greek Salad).  My sister Meagan and decided to have our own Mother's Day celebration at home.  She had cooked lobster in the fridge, and I picked up some fiddleheads.  We stole alfredo sauce, a baguette, and a beautiful salad of Penner's organic greens from the restaurant.  And a bottle of Windermere wine.

Windermere is a gorgeous not-dry white wine made by Jost Winery.  The grapes, romantically named KW 94-2, were developed from crossing grape varieties in the 1980s at the Kentville Research Station.  They are grown just outside Berwick in Windermere by Jim Gray, one of our favourite raspberry growers. It goes well with some of the more wine-challenging dishes at the Cafe, notably our Chicken Curry.  Of course, it is absolutely sublime with creamy pasta with lobster and the season's first fiddleheads.

Lobster and Fiddlehead Penne

Colours of springtime!  Ribbons of beet greens or spinach would be welcome additions to this gorgeous dish.

1 lb. Penne
2 T. Butter
1 clove Garlic
1/2 lb.  Fiddleheads, well washed (trim off any brown ends)
1 C. Whipping Cream
1/4 C. freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper
2 C. chopped cooked Lobster (you could use thawed frozen lobster meat or prepare your own)
more Parmesan for serving

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil, add the penne, and cook until almost tender (the pasta will cook again later and you don't want moosh).  Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water.  Meanwhile, place a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the butter.  When it has melted, add the garlic and fiddleheads and saute for a few minutes.  Before the garlic browns, add the cream and bring to a boil.  Add the lobster meat, the penne, Parmesan cheese, a healthy pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper to the pan.  Using tongs, toss while the cream reduces to a sauce that just clings to the pasta.  If you've gone too far and the pasta seems dry, add a little of the cooking water.  Divide into bowls and top with a little more Parmesan.

Fiddleheads and Beet Greens

Fiddleheads have always been a bit of a mystery to me. Although I consider my mother The Best Cook on Earth, there are a few local specialties we never ate. I don't remember eating Mackerel as a child, or Beet Greens. I probably would have hated them. It was really only after opening the Cafe that I started cooking with them.

Fiddleheads taste like spring; earthy, vegetal and green, and they are available for only a minute in May. I usually serve them simply sauteed in butter as a vegetable side, and they are welcome in creamy pasta dishes. I have found beautiful fresh fiddleheads right at Save Easy in Berwick, and my friendly Armstrong's representative, Will Mounce, brought me a pristine bag picked from his property last night. If the ends have browned, trim them a little and rinse them to remove any of the brown papery covering. Heat a little butter and oil over medium heat in a pan, then throw in the fiddleheads and saute for a minute or two. Add a splash of water, then cover the pan for a minute to steam (this will help them cook through without burning). Remove the lid and cook until the water has evaporated. Sprinkle with salt to taste and serve. Apparently fiddleheads have recently been found to contain twice the antioxidant value of blueberries!

Beet Greens are not nearly so fleeting, but they are available early and are amazingly popular around here. At the Cafe, we've made an annual pot of Beet Green and Sausage Soup, cooked them into lasagna fillings, and cut them raw into salads. Of course, they are best just steamed or sauteed with maybe a splash of vinegar. We have been buying amazingly fresh greens from Den Haan's in Middleton.

Last Thursday, I combined the two of them into yummy quesadillas.

Fiddlehead and Beet Green Quesadillas

1 T.Olive Oil

1 Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic

1 Lb. Fiddleheads, trimmed and rinsed

1 bunch Beet Greens, chopped

2 C. Shredded Mozzarella

2 C. chopped Chicken (leftover roasted chicken is perfect, or leave it out for veggie quesadillas)

6 large Whole Wheat Tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. Oil a large baking sheet. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic and fiddleheads and cook for a minute. Add a splash of water, cover and cook for a minute, then stir in the beet greens. Toss until greens are wilted. Season to taste with salt and mix in the chicken. Lay out the tortillas and sprinkle with the cheese. Divide the filling among the tortillas, placing it on the lower half of each and spreading it out evenly. Fold top half of tortilla down to cover the filling. Carefully transfer the filled tortillas to the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the quesadillas over and continue to bake another 5-10 minutes, until the outside has browned and the filling is hot. Cut into 4 pieces each and serve with sour cream and your favourite salsa.