‘Tis The Season For Fiddlehead Fern… But Hurry Up It’s Almost Over!

Fiddlehead Fern is a vegetable I simply loooove. If your main language is English, you might be thinking ‘what is that?’. If you speak French, you might know this vegetable under the name of Crosse de Fougère or Tête de violon. Basically, it’s the head of the fern that you cultivate before it grows out… which mean it’s only available in spring, before the plant becomes too big. Mid-April to June is the best time to buy this amazingly tasty vegetable.

If you’ve never prepared Fiddlehead Ferns, don’t be grossed out by their appearance. They can indeed put some people off. Instead, take the time to wash them out a few times in cold water, trying to clean out the dirt as much as possible. After that, prepare two small separate pots filled with salted water. Bring the water to a boil, throw the ferns in the first pot, and cook them for 3 minutes. Take them out and quickly throw them in the second pot. Cook for another 2 minutes. Once they’re done, rinse them out in cold water to stop the cooking.

Once the cleaning and cooking is done, you’re ready to eat these little gems (they can be quite expensive at the beginning of the season). I love them pan seared with butter, garlic and salt. Otherwise you can prepare a great vinaigrette and prepare the Fiddlehead Ferns as a salad. This is the recipe I’m suggesting to you… 

Pre cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

Twice cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

FIDDLEHEAD FERN SALAD

Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

Salad

A nice bunch of cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

4 radish, finely sliced

2 lebanese cucumbers, finely sliced

A little bit of fresh baby arugula

Salad Dressing

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

¼ cup Apple cider vinegar

¼ cup White balsamic vinegar

1 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, pressed

Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Salad Dressing

In a small bowl or jar, mix all the ingredients. Adjust seasoning.

Salad

In a bowl, mix all the vegetables and add the salad dressing. Mix well. Adjust seasoning.

This version of a salad is really simple but you can let your imagination go where you want it to go. You could add cheese, tomatoes, olives, etc. Go wild!!

Slowly Getting Back Into The Groove With Green Beans And Tomato Salad

Ok, so I have totally been neglecting my readers lately. I have to apologize right off the bat to all of you. I hope you haven’t stopped cooking while you were waiting for me to get back on track! I promise, I’m slowly getting back into business and I will get into the groove of things in no time. I will continue to fill the pages of this blog with amazing and tasteful recipes as of now.

I have the greatest excuse in the world! It’s done. I have a new baby in the house. He’s come 2 weeks ago and life has changed forever. Although he’s already a good kid (of course!), he does wake me up a few times a night for his feedings, which is draining me of most of my good energy. What’s left of it, I keep for my toddler who’s just about to start walking around the house these days. What time is left for cooking? Well, practically none. For the past 2 weeks we’ve been living off unfrozen food or goods brought to us by the family. It hasn’t been all that bad, and the break has been more than welcome!

When I say cooking, I mean taking time to prepare something elaborate to eat. Yet sometimes, I do prepare things that take me about 2 minutes to put together. Which is cooking so easy to make it’s really nothing special. This, I do have time to do these days. That is, if I have the right ingredients in my fridge. This simple recipe is a great accompaniment to any meat or fish dish. It’s simple, super healthy and definitely tasty. This is perfect for anyone who’s like me, trying to get back into shape… or simply for anyone looking for a nice way to eat some greens!

GREEN BEANS AND TOMATO SALAD

INGREDIENTS

Salad

2 cups of green beans

About 10 small vine tomatoes, cut in quarters

¼ cup Pine nuts

Dressing

2 tbsp Dijon Mustard

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & Pepper

PREPARATION

Boil some water in a medium saucepan. Incorporate the green beans and cook them for about 5-7 minutes or until cooked but still crunchy (like Al Dente for pasta!). Empty the boiling water and rinse off with cold water. Set aside.

In a small skillet, over medium heat, slightly roast the pine nuts. Make sure to watch them carefully as pine nuts are very easy to burn. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the Dijon Mustard and balsamic vinegar. Slowly incorporate the olive oil while mixing. Add the garlic. Season to taste. Set aside.

Cut the green beans in small pieces, about 1 inch long. Put them in a large bowl. Add the diced tomatoes and the Pine nuts. Pour the dressing on top and gently mix.

Serve with fish or meat on a nice sunny day!

Making A Friend Happy and Healthy With a Fresh Quinoa Salad

This week I went to visit a good friend of mine who’s just had a baby. When I was in the same situation, nothing seemed to please me more than friends who showed up at my place with a surprise of good healthy food to fill my too often empty stomach. So when my friend told me I could pass by to see the newborn, I just felt I had to bring something to make her feel better. Something that would bring her all the good vitamins she most certainly needs. When you do this, the food needs to be really simple and straight to the point, and requires no onsite preparation. Which is why I thought of a salad. But if I made a regular salad, with lettuce, it would get soggy by the time I got to her home. Like I said, no onsite preparation also means no need for a bowl and utensils to add the dressing.

So I came up with the idea of a fresh quinoa salad. Refreshing and ultra nutritious, I think it was the perfect snack for the occasion. Quinoa is a high protein grain as well as a good source of dietary fibers. It’s gluten free and easy to digest. Effortless to prepare all sorts of way, quinoa is a great thing to always keep handy in your kitchen. These days, I much prefer it to rice as an accompaniment, mostly for it nutritious value.

I think my friend was happy with what I brought her. Although she couldn’t manage to sit down for more than 5 minutes to eat her salad, she did manage to eat a good portion of her daily vitamins, essential any time but even more when you’re breastfeeding. And I was certainly a happy camper to know this salad was also my lunch. Not only did I do a good deed, but I did satisfy my hunger at the same time! 

QUINOA SALAD

Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

Quinoa

1 cup quinoa

2 star anise

2 cardamoms

2 cloves (clou de girofle)

2 cups light chicken broth

Dressing

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 tbsp olive oil

Salt  & pepper

Salad

¼ white onion, finely chopped

8 small vine tomatoes, quartered

2 small Lebanese cucumbers cut in small pieces

4 celery branches, finely chopped

½ jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)

2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped

2 oranges cut in small pieces

PREPARATION

Quinoa

Rinse the quinoa. In a small skillet, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the quinoa, star anise, cardamoms, and cloves. Cook for about 20 minutes or as indicated on the package. Once ready, let cool.

Dressing

In a small bowl, blend the mustard with the vinegar. Slowly add the olive oil until you obtain a thick texture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Salad

In a bowl, mix the white onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, jalapeno and about 1 cup of cooked quinoa. Add the dressing and mix well. Finish by adding the coriander and oranges and mix gently.

NOTE: I like to prepare my quinoa in advance. You can make it a day ahead or even use leftovers to make the salad.