Fiddlehead Cream Soup (Acadian)

New Brunswick has the largest Acadian population in Canada and fiddleheads are a local favourite there, where they grow in abundance.

1¼ lb fiddleheads, cleaned well (570 g)
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (1 L)
1 cup evaporated milk (250 mL)
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced (15 mL)
½ tsp. dried oregano (3 mL)
½ tsp. dried basil (3 mL)
½ cup dried celery, minced (125 mL)
1 tsp. dried parsley (5 mL)
1 cup applesauce (250 mL)
1½ cups green tomatoes, chopped (375 mL)
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

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.