Oven-Roasted Fiddleheads with Capers and Lemon #SundaySupper

Another Sunday … another Sunday Supper Movement. This week hosted by Christie at A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures. Stop by and check out her blog … scroll to the bottom and check out all of the Healthy Green Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day.

I will admit from the outset, that this recipe has been sitting on my to-do list since last spring. I’ve just had a hard time sitting in front of this computer and writing. Seeing this week’s theme jolted me into, Come on, girl, get off yer are and write. So here I am.

Besides, it’s cold here in Maine. I am longing for springtime. Remembering this recipe and the lovely spring day I found these green beauties makes me warm and happy. Perhaps by you, the little fiddleheads are pushing through the ground as you read.

Fiddleheads are the young unfurled fronds of ferns that pop their little heads out of the ground in the spring. Usually an Ostrich Fern. You harvest them in the spring before they unfurl and are close to the ground. This involves a lot of tramping around – well, treading lightly around the woods, peering on the ground for these little prized gems. Usually under or near trees, so they’re in a cool-ish, damp-ish place. You cut close to the ground and try not to take too many from the same cluster so as not to kill the fern – we’ll want more next year, right?

They are high in omega- 3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and high in iron and fiber and potassium.

They are fiddly to clean – hahaha, get it? Fiddleheads? Fiddly? – oh, I crack myself up. Cutting off the bottom, peeling the brown papery stuff and soaking, and soaking, and soaking.

But once soaked they look like this:

Cool, right? And a little weird.

I wanted the preparation method to be light as the flavor of the Fiddlehead is delicate. They taste like spring-time, a little grassy, a little nutty, a bit like an asparagus. and I think a bit like an artichoke.

• 2 cups fiddleheads
• 3 tablespoons capers
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4teaspoon sea salt
• 1-2 thin lemon slices

NOTE: I left the capers out. Someone here has an issue with capers. I’m not quite sure what or shy, but for marital harmony, I left them out.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash fiddleheads thoroughly, in at least 2-3 changes of water. Trim away any brown, woody ends of fiddlehead stems.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and blanch fiddleheads for 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into an ice water bath to stop cooking.

Drain thoroughly and toss with lemon juice, olive oil, capers, salt and lemon slices.

Spread onto a parchment lined baking sheet and roast for 8-12 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp around the edges.

Healthy Green Foods for St. Patrick’s Day

Healthy Green Main Meals

• Artichoke and Spinach Dip Flatbreads by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Easy Broccoli Soup with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas by Sunday Supper Movement
• Kale and Brussels Sprout Frittata by Pies and Plots
• Pasta with Morels by Palatable Pastime
• Salmon with Pesto and Potatoes by Cooking Chat
• Spinach and Cheese Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats by Recipes Food and Cooking
• Winter Minestrone with Turnips, Potatoes, and Kale by Wholistic Woman

Super Green Side Dishes

• Catalan-style Sauteed Swiss Chard by Caroline’s Cooking
• Honey Mustard Roasted Brussels Sprouts by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Oven-Roasted Fiddleheads with Capers and Lemon by From the Bookshelf
• Zucchini and Herb Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette by Hot Eats and Cool Reads

The Sunday Supper Movement is committed to bringing our readers delicious recipes that encourage them to gather and eat together around the family table. Search for your favorite ingredients on our Sunday Supper website. Also check out the Sunday Supper Pinterest boards for plenty more ideas and inspiration.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.