Fiddlehead Tacos, Almond Romesco

Fiddlehead Tacos, Almond Romesco

Ingredients:
1 garlic head (do not peel)
3 cups small fiddlehead ferns, trimmed and washed
10 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup canned hominy, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 slice (½-inch-thick) stale baguette
1 plum tomato, quartered
1 jarred roasted red pepper
¼ cup blanched almonds

Directions:
1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
8 corn tortillas
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Cut the top third off the
garlic head, exposing most of the cloves below. Wrap the garlic head in foil.
2. Bake the garlic until soft and aromatic, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool at room
temperature while you proceed with the recipe.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the
fiddleheads and blanch for 3 minutes from the moment they hit the water. Drain in a
colander set in the sink.
4. Set a large skillet over medium heat for a couple of minutes, then swirl in 2
tablespoons of the oil. Add the blanched fiddleheads and cook, stirring all the while,
for 1 minute. Add the hominy and cumin seeds and cook, stirring often, until the
fiddleheads are tender, about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
5. Add ½ tablespoon of the oil to the skillet, still over medium heat. Slip in the bread
and toast on both sides until browned, about 3 minutes, turning once. Tear the bread
into quarters and transfer to a large food processor.
6. Put the tomato quarters in the skillet, still over the heat. Cook, turning often, until
somewhat softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer the tomato to the food processor, along
with the red pepper, almonds, and lemon juice. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into
the food processor. Process, drizzling in the remaining 7 ½ tablespoons olive oil
through the tube, until it forms a thick puree, like a pesto.
7. Warm the tortillas on the grate over a low gas flame until lightly marked and
softened, about 20 seconds, turning once. If you don’t have a gas stove, wrap the
tortillas in foil and heat in a 400°F oven until soft, about 20 minutes. Set the warm
tortillas on serving plates.
8. Divide the fiddlehead mixture among the tortillas. Drizzle each open taco with 2 to
3 tablespoons of the romesco sauce from the food processor.
• AHEAD
•
Roast the garlic up to 2 days in advance. Store in its foil packet in the fridge.
•
Make the almond romesco sauce up to 6 hours in advance. Store, covered, at room temperature.
•
Prepare the fiddleheads up to 2 hours in advance. Store, uncovered, at room temperature.
• NOTES
•
Fiddlehead ferns are a springtime delicacy in New England and the Canadian Maritimes, around for a
couple of weeks before they’re gone for another year. Because of quick distribution networks, you can now
find this regional ingredient in early May throughout North American supermarkets—if your timing is just