Fiddlehead Fern and Mushroom Soup

Fiddlehead ferns have a unique taste, and the closest I can come to describing  them is that they are reminiscent of a mild artichoke. Just a little bitter, with an earthy-woodsy flavor. In fact they are gathered in the woods, before the trees leaf out. The Ostrich (or other edible variety) ferns begin to emerge from the ground in the Spring, reaching for the sun, which is when they are picked for eating. By the time all the tree leaves are fully out, the ferns have some nice shade to fully unwind, expand and grow through the summer…..except for the ones found and plucked for a delicacy that is eagerly awaited by those who know what a treat these young ferns are!

While still tightly coiled, the young ferns are snipped  off at ground level, and you often see some of the ‘chaf’  (the paper-thin brown part you see) that is part of the growing  fiddleheads. This needs to be rubbed off and discarded, and the ferns washed very well.  The ferns are traditionally cooked simply in butter with some garlic, salt and pepper – or done as a soup. A cream based soup is commonly done, but for me Spring isn’t about cream anything, so  I make a fiddlehead soup that is very low-fat but still creamy.  It also preserves the wonderful, delicate flavor of the ferns and features a classic companion for fiddlehead cooking – mushrooms. Another benefit to my version is that you get a lot of the fiddlehead flavor, some nice crunch from chunks of the ferns, but it manages to stretch them out, and since they are $4.99 and up a pound – this is a welcome thing!

 Fiddleheads can vary widely in size, but as long as they are still wound up, size really doesn’t matter  as far as taste , and all sizes have a wonderful crunch to them. Get your fiddleheads from a trusted source – only an expert knows the correct ones to gather!

Fiddlehead Fern and Mushroom Soup recipe: (serves four)

• 5 cups lowfat-low, low- sodium chicken stock 
• 2 cups cleaned fiddlehead ferns, large ones cut in half
• 2 cups crimini  mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large long white or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed into small bite sized pieces
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, finely diced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: immersion blender or food processor

Bring the stock to a boil in a soup kettle. Add the potatoes, onion and thyme.  Cook on a low boil, covered until the potatoes are very, very tender – this takes me from 20 to 25 minutes. While doing that, in a large skillet, saute the sliced mushrooms,  ferns and garlic in the olive oil with a generous sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper  for about 1 minute. Add two large spoons of stock , cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Uncover, stir and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. At this point, the mushrooms and ferns should be cooked. Add the lemon juice and taste for salt and pepper. Note: if not making a soup – this is a wonderful side dish as-is!  Set aside until the potatoes are done.

When the potatoes  are very tender (at the point of mushy) take off the heat, remove the thyme stems if using fresh and allow to cool off for a few minutes. Carefully cream with the immersion blender (or do so in batches in a food processor). Avoid splashing the hot liquid on yourself!  Add half the fern/mushroom mixture, and again with the immersion blender, whiz down into small pieces. Add the remaining fern/mushrooms, stir and taste for salt and pepper. This process will give you a creamy textured, full bodied yet low-fat soup. If cooled down too much, heat on low until just heated through and serve. Enjoy!