Super Food Side Dish

Grill Fire Roasted Fiddleheads

In one of my very first posts, I shared a recipe for pickled fiddleheads that has been quite popular with my followers so I thought I would share another one of my favorite preparations for a super food side dish. You can honestly do just about anything with them; they are not just a side dish.  You can use them as a pizza topping, in a salad, in a casserole, and in a sandwich...the possibilities are endless.  The traditional Maine way to prepare them is to simply boil or steam them with some salt pork and serve them slathered in butter and a little vinegar.  There is nothing fancy at all about the Maine way but they are delicious and the preparation has stood the test of time.

Fiddleheads are rich in vitamins and minerals and contain antioxidants along with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.  They are used throughout the world in many different cultures and cuisines.  The fiddlehead otherwise know as the Ostrich Fern grows wild and are harvested in the Northeastern part of North America and are a traditional dish of Northern New England (especially Maine).  In mid to late spring here in Maine you can find them being sold at farm stands, supermarkets, farmers markets and even on the side of the road throughout the State.  

Mainers are quite serious about their fiddleheads and the season for harvesting is very short, so at the first sign of those little green heads emerging from the ground...it's on!  

As I mentioned earlier, there are many ways to use fiddleheads but whatever way you decide to use them they must always be cooked first.  Fiddleheads can be toxic if not cooked properly so after they have been thoroughly cleaned and dried you will need to boil or steam them for about 10 to 15 minutes.  

The fiddleheads used in this recipe were harvested in Presque Isle, Maine by my father.  They are big and hearty and perfect for holding up to the heat of the grill.  This is a super quick and easy super food side dish to prepare especially when someone else has picked, cleaned and bagged them for you already.  Here is how I prepared them

Even though I am grilling these fiddleheads, they still need to be boiled or steamed first.  After they have been properly boiled, place them in a strainer or a grill pan (shown above) and let the water drain out of them for a bit.  Once the water has been drained, drizzle the fiddleheads with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and then add salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder.  I use garlic powder because fresh garlic would burn in the pan very quickly from the heat of the grill. 

Grill the fiddleheads over medium high heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until they start to brown up and crisp a bit.  Remove them from the heat and add a little more balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional).  Give the fiddleheads a good toss to coat them evenly and serve.

Cooking fiddleheads this way reduces the bitterness and I found them to be really quite sweet.  I personally like the bitterness of the fiddlehead but some people will not eat them because of it so this is a great way to prepare them if you find their natural bitterness to be off putting.  It does not matter how you prepare them or what you serve the with...the important thing is that you eat them!

Enjoy!

Dim Sum Surprise

Cheese Steak Egg Rolls

I love egg rolls, I love making egg rolls and most importantly, I love eating egg rolls.  In my opinion there is no appetizer on this earth better than a good egg roll.  It took me years to perfect the art of making egg rolls and when I finally got it right, it was one of my proudest moments in the kitchen! I know that sounds silly but trust me when I say, there is an art to making an egg roll.

One evening a couple of years ago, my husband and I were watching one of our favorite cooking shows; which featured a food truck and their signature menu item was Philly cheese steak egg rolls.  The concept was interesting to me but as hard as I had worked to perfect an authentic egg roll, I rejected the idea instantly.  Then I looked over at my husband and realized that it was love at first sight for him and I would be attempting to make these cheese steak egg rolls soon. 

It was not too long after watching the show that I decided to surprise my family and make what I now call steak rolls.  There were an instant hit and I have been serving them ever since.  I do not serve them more than my "real" egg rolls but I have to admit that when I am looking for a quick meal to serve and a little change of pace, this is one of my go to recipes.  Here is how I do it...

Preparing the ingredients

First I start by cutting red and green bell peppers in long and thin slices

Next I thinly slice about one and a half pounds of beef short ribs.  You can use any cut of beef that you prefer and to make the process easier, you can purchase shaved steak from the grocery store but I would not use steakums or any other kind of processed and frozen beef product.  

When I am done preparing the vegetables and meat, I throw the bell peppers into a saute pan with about a table spoon of olive oil, sea salt and pepper to taste and cook until they are good and tender. Remove the peppers from the pan and place them onto a paper plate that is covered with a few paper towels to absorb the grease and moisture.  Place the plate of peppers into the refrigerator to cool. 

Next I add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and then add the beef short ribs.  Season the short ribs with sea salt and cracked black pepper and one clove of thinly diced garlic.  Cook the beef to medium rare and remove from the pan and also place these on a paper plate with paper towels and place in the refrigerator to cool.  The cooling process only takes about 10 minutes as long as you spread the meat out on the plate.  Use two plates if you have to in order to spread all the pieces out properly. *Note- If you do not cool the peppers and beef before you place them onto the egg roll wrapper, the heat and the moisture will make the wrapper fall apart while you are trying to roll them.

Once the peppers and beef are cooled, take them out of the refrigerator and pat them with a paper towel to absorb any excessive moisture.  Now it is time to start building your rolls.

Place  your egg roll wrapper on a paper plate (you can purchase egg roll wrappers in your grocery store) and start with a layer of beef and then a layer of peppers in the middle of the wrapper.  Top the beef and peppers with shredded cheese.  Here I have used two different types of cheddar cheese but you can use any type of cheese you desire.  Do not overfill the wrapper or it will split and fall apart.  Once you are done layering, pull the bottom corner of the egg roll wrapper up over the layered mixture and gently pull it back a little bit toward you so you have a nice little pocket at the bottom of the roll.  Pull both side corners of the wrapper over the pocket that you created and then roll the mixture up almost to the top corner of the wrapper.  Before you roll it all the way, wet the very top corner of the wrapper with some water or a beaten egg yolk using the tip of your finger or a pastry brush.  Then finish rolling the wrapper making sure that very top corner is sealed.  Repeat this process until all of the beef and peppers have been used.  This recipe should make about 10 to 12 rolls.

Your roll should look similar to this when you are done.

When you are done making your rolls, preheat a saute pan to medium high heat and add about three to four table spoons of peanut or olive oil (depending on the size of your pan) and add three or four rolls to the pan. Cook the rolls until they are crispy and golden brown on all sides.  Remove the rolls from the pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to cool a bit.  Repeat this until you have cooked all of the rolls. I would tell you the best way to serve them and what to serve them with but they are usually just taken straight out off the cooling plate seconds after coming out of the pan.  They are eaten just about as fast as I can make them!

I really do enjoy this dish as much as I cringed initially at the thought of putting steak and cheese in an egg roll wrapper.  They are simply delicious and when you put steak and cheese in an egg roll, it is a meal not an appetizer.  This has become a popular meal in my house and I have to say that the process is much faster and easier than making an authentic egg roll.  While they are by no means a replacement for my beloved egg rolls, I have to admit that they are a huge crowd pleaser and putting a smile on some one's face with food is the ultimate goal!

Enjoy!