Recipe - Spring Vegetable Ragout

One half pound Fiddleheads; * cleaned
(procedure
; follows)
One half pound 1 inch baby" pattypan
squash; * trimmed
One half pound Baby carrots; * trimmed
Three fourths cup Shelled fresh peas
One half Stick unsalted butter; (1/4
cup)
One half pound Pearl onions; blanched in
boiling
; water for 1 minute,
; peeled, and trimmed
2 Thyme sprigs
1 Bay leaf
1 cup Chicken broth
One fourth pound Fresh morels; * washed well,
; patted dry, and
; trimmed
3 tablespoon Minced fresh parsley leaves
1 One half tablespoon Minced fresh mint leaves
1 lg Garlic clove; minced

*available seasonally at specialty produce markets and some supermarkets

In a kettle of boiling salted water boil the fiddleheads for 4 minutes, or
until they are crisptender, transfer them with a slotted spoon to a bowl
of ice and cold water to stop the cooking, and transfer them to paper
towels to drain. In the kettle boil the squash and the carrots for 3
minutes, or until they are crisptender, transfer the vegetables with the
slotted spoon to the bowl of ice and cold water to stop the cooking, and
transfer them to paper towels to drain. In the kettle boil the peas for 2
to 3 minutes, or until they are just tender, and drain them.

In a large heavy skillet combine 2 tablespoons of the butter, the onions,
the thyme, the bay leaf, One fourth cup of the broth, and salt and pepper to taste
and simmer the mixture, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the morels, halved
lengthwise or cut or sliced up crosswise, and One half cup of the remaining broth and
simmer the mixture, covered, for 10 minutes, or until the morels are
tender. Add the fiddleheads, the squash, the carrots, and the remaining 1/4
cup broth and simmer the mixture, covered, for 1 minute. Add the peas, the
parsley, the mint, and the garlic, simmer the ragout, covered, for 1
minute, and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cut into bits,
stirring until the butter is just melted. Discard the bay leaf and season
the ragout with salt and pepper.

To clean freshpicked fiddleheads:

Snap off the crisp, bright green fiddlehead tops from ostrich ferns,
leaving about 2 inches of stem attached. Rub off the dry brown casings by
hand or put the fiddleheads in a wire salad basket and whirl the basket
outdoors to remove the casings. Let the fiddleheads soak in a sink half
full of cold water, changing the water several times to remove any grit or
casing particles, and drain them. The fiddleheads keep, covered and
chilled, for 1 week.

Serves 6.

Gourmet May 1992

Converted by MC_Buster.

Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.