Monday, May 23, 2011

fiddleheads

So it is spring here in Maine (really?  well, the calandar says so...) and with spring we get that local delicacy called fiddleheads.  I'm not sure you are a true Mainer if you've never had fiddleheads.  A fiddlehead is a baby fern before it has uncoiled.

And it is yummy!  Tastes a bit like asparagus/spinach.  We have a few spots around central and northern Maine that we find fiddleheads to pick every year.  We eat a bunch right away, freeze a whole bunch and last year we tried pickling them.  Any way you have them, they are good. 

This year I wanted to try something different--cream of fiddlehead soup.  I figured it would be kinda like cream of broccoli soup, which I love.  And it was.  I made a batch yesterday and it was wicked good!  (in perfect Maine-speak)  I am not known for my cooking skills, so I was pretty proud of myself that I made something that tasted really good and was not from a box!  yay me!  Fiddleheads are pretty good for you as well and the only thing that was fattening in this recipe was the 1/2 c heavy cream (for which I used half & half) and the 1 c sour cream (for which I used 'light').  Well, the butter to cook the onions and fiddleheads in.   But that doesn't count because you can't eat fiddleheads without butter.  But I digress...

I had a really big bowl for dinner after my 4 mile run and sat down to watch TV, all proud of myself for a making and eating a (somewhat) healthy dinner.  But like many greens, if eaten in larger quantities, you may notice a somewhat unpleasant side effect.  It's affectionately called "the trots".  This soup seemed to have the same effectiveness as a colonoscopy prep. 

On the bright side, I weigh two pounds less this morning than I did yesterday....  

I'll send the recipe to anyone who wishes to lose weight quickly.  Any unusual food recipes you care to share?

3 comments:

Bobbi said...

♥ fiddleheads! Soup sounds yummy. Try Greek yogurt instead of sour cream next time....same effect, just a little better for you. :)

HD said...

Sounds yummy! Next time I get out to Maine I'll have to try them :)

Christi said...

Okay, I have never heard of fiddleheads so I have learned something new today!