Barbecue Steamed Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads, a type of fern harvested before the plant has a chance to unfurl, are as much a harbinger of spring in New England – and as fleeting – as a migratory bird passing through. They come up in the middle of spring, around the end of April and into May, when the soil has thawed and early vegetation makes its presence known.

The flavor is fresh and grassy, and offers a good contrast to heavier meats.

The following recipe uses the grill, so that while you happen to have the barbecue fired up anyway, you can toss your fiddleheads on toward the end for a quick steam in a foil pouch. The fiddleheads absorb the butter as it melts, turning each into a little net of creaminess.

If it’s still raining where you are, this recipe works just as will in a pan on the stove.

Barbecue Steamed Fiddleheads – serves 2 – 4

2 dozen fiddleheads
1 T butter, cut into 1/8 inch cubes
1 wedge of lemon

Clean the fiddleheads by rinsing them with cool water and cutting off the stems to expose a fresher surface.

Place them in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil. Evenly distribute the cubes of butter over the fiddleheads.

Fold fold the two opposite sides together and fold and press the ends together to form a pouch.

Place on a 400 degree grill for 5 – 7 minutes, flipping once. To avoid overcooking, it’s a good idea to do this once any meats or fish are just finishing up on the grill, since the fiddleheads need very little time to cook.

Remove from foil, place in a serving dish and squeeze with fresh lemon.

Ingredient origins – Fiddleheads – Maine; Butter – Maine; Lemon – Mexico

Boston Baked Beans

At one time Boston Baked Beans were popular throughout New England as a winter survival food – a nutrient and protein-rich pantry item that could be stored throughout the cold months. Refrigeration has obviously changed things a bit, and we’re no longer living on beans all winter, but it’s good to keep tradition alive.

It’s also good to not constantly import produce and things from halfway around the world when what we need is right here in our own region. The beans for this post were grown locally by Baer’s Best Beans.

Thankfully, Boston Baked Beans is one of those dishes that actually does seem to get passed on through generations and, even more thankfully, not much has gotten lost in translation. You don’t often see Baked Beans getting a contemporary makeover. For the most part it’s always consisted of the same few ingredients: molasses, bacon or salt pork and small white beans, which absorb the molasses, turning them a golden brown. Salem, Massachusetts, more so than Boston, had a booming spice trade in the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, so it’s not difficult to imagine someone tossing a clove or allspice berry into the pot at some point.

I learned to make Boston Baked Beans from my mother. (Thanks mom!) Having seen and tried all the regular players for this dish, the following recipe is a formula using all of the components that I like to see in a Baked Bean. Also, I don’t like having odd chunks of things floating around in my Baked Bean, so I like to grate the onion rather than chopping it, which allows the onion to impart its flavor without keeping too much of a physical presence in the dish. Just the right amount of liquid thickens in the pot without becoming soupy. The result is a good blend of savory from the bacon, onion and mustard, sweet from the molasses and brown sugar, and tang from the allspice, clove and ginger.

Boston Baked Beans - makes 10 servings

1 lb white beans, such as yellow eye or great northern
1/2 lb bacon – cut into 1″x1/4″ strips
1/4 C grated yellow onion
2 T tomato paste
1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C molasses
1/2 t dry ground mustard
1 t dry ground ginger
2 t cloves, ground
5 allspice berries, ground
1/2 t salt
3 C warm water

Start by soaking the beans overnight in a large stock pot. Drain and rinse.

Cover the beans with fresh water and bring to a simmer – do not boil. Cover and continue to simmer fo 30 minutes. Drain, reserving 3 cups of the liquid. Transfer the beans into an oven-safe casserole dish with a cover.

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Cook the bacon in a large saute pan or deep skillet on low to medium heat until just cooked. Add the onion and incorporate into the bacon fat. Continue to cook on low 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Add the tomato paste, molasses, brown sugar, spices, salt and water. Stir to blend. Pour the mixture over the beans and gently stir to combine.

Cover and bake 2 hours. Remove cover and bake for 1 additional hour.

Enjoy with a nice crusty bread or a toast points and a salad.

Ingredient origins: Yellow eye beans – Massachusetts; Nitrate free bacon – unknown; Organic onion – California; Tomato paste – unknown; Brown sugar – Florida; Molasses – New Jersey; Mustard – unknown, Clove – India; Allspice – India

New England Boiled Dinner

There’s always all kinds of hubbub over corned beef and cabbage this time of year. My grandmother used to make New England Boiled Dinner, which is similar. Made with more winter vegetables, it’s a whole meal in itself, including potatoes, parsnips and carrots.

The cabbage and potatoes take on the corned beef’s brininess, which is complemented by the sweetness of the carrots and parsnips, making this one-pot meal a perfect spectrum of flavor.

New England Boiled Dinner – serves 4 – 6

4 medium boiling potatoes
2.5 lb gray (nitrate free) corned beef brisket
1 small head cabbage
4 carrots
water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Place the corned beef brisket in a large oven safe dutch oven and just cover with water. Place on a burner and bring to a simmer over high heat.

Meanwhile peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Cut the cabbage into eight wedges and remove the core.

Cover the beef with the cabbage and potatoes. Transfer the dutch oven to the oven and cook, covered for 1 hour.

Using tongs, gently lift the potatoes out of the liquid and submerge the carrots and parsnips. Cover again with the potatoes, being careful not to crush them. Return to the oven and cook for 1 hour.

Remove the corned beef and transfer to a cutting board. Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing. Plate with cabbage, potato, parsnip, carrot, and little bit of broth. Serve hot.

Ingredient origins: Nitrate free corned beef – Massachusetts; Parsnips – Massachusetts; Potatoes – California; Organic Cabbage – Mexico, Carrots – California

Pan-Fried Rosemary Cod

This was the final week of our fish share until the next season which starts in the spring. We got a lovely cod. Fresh cod is so delicate, it deserves to not have its flavor masked by other things. In this case, lemon adds a bit of zing and fresh rosemary lends its mellow flavor without taking over the dish.

While we’re on the topic of fresh herbs vs. dried, I find fresh rosemary to be far less intrusive than dried rosemary, which seems to walk right into a dish and act like it owns the place. Other herbs seem less concentrated when dried, like parsley and basil, but not so with rosemary. Use fresh rosemary for subtle flavor in this dish.

Since we got our fish whole, I left the skin on, but you can do it either way. I find that leaving the skin on helps the fillets stay together when they’re flipped, but if you only have access to skinned fillets of cod, you’re still good. Also, for pan-frying, I like to cut fish fillets into relatively small pieces so that they are easier to flip. Just a personal preference, you can do it either way. It’s your kitchen.

Pan-Fried Rosemary Cod - serves 2 – 4

2 T butter
1/3 C flour
Juice from 1 lemon
1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped (about 1 t)
1 -1 lb fillet of cod

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it begins to bubble, add the chopped rosemary, reduce heat to low, and allow infuse gradually, 5 – 7 minutes, being careful not to burn the rosemary.

Meanwhile, squeeze lemon juice into a shallow bowl. Pour flour into a separate shallow bowl. Cut to fillet into two to four pieces. Dredge in lemon juice and shake off excess. Dredge in flour and shake off excess.

Raise heat to medium-high. When the butter begins to bubble again, add the fish presentation-side down, or skin-side up. Lower heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes.

Gently shake the pan to loosen the fish from the pan. Using a metal spatula or fish turner, gently flip the fish to cook the other side, being careful to keep the golden crust that’s formed intact. Cook for another 4 minutes.

Serve hot with a wedge of lemon.

Ingredient origins: Butter – Maine; Flour – Vermont; Lemon – California; Rosemary – Massachusetts; Cod – Massachusetts

Fried Northern Shrimp

Yesterday was fish share day. We picked up the last 5 lb bag of beautifully fresh native Northern Shrimp of the season from our Community Supported Fishery. Northern shrimp are the only shrimp native to New England and from what I understand, they’re only around in the middle of winter. So this is the end of the line for us until next year. How exciting! What to do, what to do?

I decided to fry them. Northern shrimp are very sweet and you’d think breading and frying would mask their delicate flavor. Not so in this case.

A light coating of flour and panko creates just the right amount of crunch to showcase their tenderness without weighing them down in oil, and the savory seasonings complement the shrimp’s sweetness. The key is starting each batch with the oil at 375 degrees, and keeping it above 300 degrees as it fries. If the temperature slips below 300 degrees, the breading will absorb the oil rather than browning and it will become saturated. That said, these are easy to make, and the result rivals anything you’d find at your local seaside clam shack.

Fried Northern Shrimp – Serves 4 – 6

5 – 6 C Northern Shrimp, peeled with heads and tails removed (about 5 lbs whole)
1.5 C flour
1 C panko crumbs
1 t salt
3 t old bay seasoning
1.5 – 2 quarts canola oil

If purchased whole, remove

In a medium bowl mix flour, panko, salt and old bay seasoning. Dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture and shake off excess.

Arrange paper towels for draining – I like to use a baking sheet covered with one layer of paper towels, then a cooling rack and another layer of paper towels. This way the top layer absorbs oil and the lower layer catches any drips. But hey, it’s your kitchen.

Heat oil to 375 degrees in a large stockpot or fryer. Start off with about a quart and a half, and you may need to add a little bit more with each batch. Carefully drop shrimp into the oil in batches, 2 cups at a time. Adjust with a heat resistant spoon to be sure they do not stick together. Cook 1- 2 minutes. Remove with a spider or strainer and place on paper towels to drain. Let the oil get back up to 375 degrees before adding the next batch.

Serve hot with a squish of lemon and maybe a bit of tartar sauce.

Ingredient origins: Northern shrimp – the waters right outside our door; Flour – Vermont; Panko – unknown; Sea salt – Maine; Seasoning – Maryland; Canola oil – unknown