Fiddlehead Soup

[Dave Savoie]

1-1/4 lb. (570 g) fiddleheads, cleaned well
 4 cups (1 L) stock
 1 cup (250 ml) evaporated milk
 1 tbsp. (15 ml) garlic, minced
 ½ tsp. (2.5 ml) oregano
 ½ tsp. (2.5 ml) basil
 ½ cup (125 ml) celery, minced
 1 tsp. (5 ml) parsley
 1 cup (250 ml) applesauce
 1-1/2 cups (375 ml) green tomatoes, chopped
 Salt and pepper to taste

Purée all but ¼ cup (60 ml) of fiddleheads.  Chop the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) of fiddleheads into small pieces, set aside.

 Place all the ingredients in a large pot, except for the milk.  Simmer until the larger pieces of fiddleheads are tender, about 40 minutes on low heat.  Add milk and simmer 20 more minutes.  Serve piping hot with biscuits, bread or dumplings

[Richard]

I read that with fiddleheads you need to discard the water they're boiled in... Do you pre-boil the fiddleheads before you combine it with the soup?

[Dave Savoie]

Yup