Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Today, Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures is hosting us as we share Springtime Sides. She wrote: "Fresh peas, asparagus, and all the spring produce flooding the market means deliciously fresh side dishes! How do you serve up spring produce?" Asparagus Almondine by A Day in the Life on the Farm Asparagus Leek & Potato Chowder by Delaware Girl Eats Cilantro Lime Rice with Snow Peas by Art of Natural Living Creamy Asparagus Risotto with Dill by Cheese Curd In Paradise Honey Roasted Carrots with Lemon and Herbs by Palatable Pastime Kicked Up Coleslaw by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures Lemon Parmesan Roasted Asparagus by Sweet Beginnings Sautéed Sesame-Soy Fiddlehead Ferns and Asparagus by Culinary Adventures with Camilla Spring Pasta Salad by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks Young Asparagus with Lemon Dipping sauce by Our Good Life We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table ! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at i...

There are a few things that have such a short season, at least in our area, that I just about scream and dance a jig when I see them. Rhubarb is one; fiddlehead ferns are another. We've foraged fiddleheads a few times, but whenever I see them in the markets or a store, I scoop up as many as I can. When I decided to cook my own birthday feast, and not go out to eat, I spotted these at the store and squealed in delight! If you're lucky enough to find them, you can cook them as you would asparagus. I opted to do an Asian-inspired sauté.  What are fiddleheads? Besides being a harbinger of Spring, they are the tightly curled fronds of a young fern. They are bright green, have a snappy texture, and have a grassy, woodsy taste.  R commented that they taste "like the bottom of a redwood forest." I'm not sure exactly what that means, but that's kinda grassy and woodsy. Before you cook them, you might need to do a little bit of prep. Wash the fidd...

After having photographed the Cooking Foraged Foods Class at the Big Sur Foragers Festival  in January, I was duly inspired and ordered a copy of Foraged Flavor: Finding Fabulous Ingredients in Your Backyard or Farmer's Market  by Tama Matsuoka Wong and Eddy Leroux [amazon affiliate link below]. I still am not going to forage mushrooms without an experienced guide to lead me. But other things, not potentially deadly things, I will happily try.  And you can't spend a day with me without some sort of culinary adventure, right? So, when the boys and I went hiking with a friend in the Forest of Nisene Marks - and spotted fiddleheads - we gave them a tiny nibble. The kids said, "They're grassy tasting." Okay. I remember loving pickled fiddleheads. So, if I can find enough of them, I'll definitely give pickling them a try. For those unfamiliar, fiddleheads are the unfurled tips of ferns. I'm going do some more reading about when we can ...