Cardoons

[Suzanne F]

Bought some cardoons a couple of weeks ago. Followed a suggestion in Vegetables from Aramanth to Zucchini to a beef and cardoon stew in New Food of Life. Also braised the remainder with onions, stock, and wine. Both were delicious. (Cardoons look like a head of gray-green celery, and taste rather like artichokes.)

HWOE wants more cardoons! Anyone have any recipes that do not involve cream ? Or leads to "ethnic" cookbooks that include some?

Much obliged.

[nerissa]

Mario Batali talks about them a lot...trying searching foodtv, or you can pull down his show (Molto Mario) and look there.

[Suzanne F]

Mille grazie! I just looked in The Babbo Cookbook and found several, all very tempting (including a gratin with 1 cup of cream, what the hell ).

[pixelchef]

I've made that gratin more than a few times. It's delicious. Highly recommended. Good luck! (not that you need it)

[awbrig]

or you can pull down his show (Molto Mario) and look there.

Nerissa!

[nerissa]

Mille grazie!  I just looked in The Babbo Cookbook and found several, all very tempting (including a gratin with 1 cup of cream, what the hell  ).

Ah yes. I should have mentioned the Babbo Cookbook, but I didn't-- how did it turn out?

Awbrig-- erm haw... not what I meant, but oh well.

Edited April 25, 2003 by nerissa (log)

[Suzanne F]

Nerissa, oh, I haven't made it yet. Still need to go get more cardoons first! But you led me to the right place anyway.

Pixelchef, how do you deal with those vicious barbs on the inside leaves? Just wear gloves to handle them? Man, I had no idea they were there, and almost lost my fingers.

awbrig, will you behave yourself?

[jackal10]

Pixelchef, how do you deal with those vicious barbs on the inside leaves?

a) The cardoons you buy should have been blanched first (wrapped in polythene or newspaper) to make them tender

b) Cut off the barbs - you only wnt the central part of each leaf

c) Braise, like celery, with onion and bacon..

[Fat Guy]

Kyle Philips, the About.com guide to Italian cuisine, did a nice piece on cardi here.

[Adam Balic]

Cardoons are a very common winter vegetable in Chianti (along with 'Black Cabbage') as is known by the local name 'Goobi' (not sure about exact spelling).

The last time I visited relatives in Chinati, the father of my brother-in-law was very kind and allowed me to cut as many cardoons as I liked for experimental cooking.

These cardoons are grown wrapped tightly in newspaper to prevent them becoming to bitter. In general, they are still very bitter and require blanching to get reduce this. Only use younger stalks, the older ones are very tough and fibrous.

The are many ways to cook them, one of the nice and easy ways is to lightly batter and deep fry them (they make excellent pokora). A local way of cooking them in Chianti is to make a souffle of them - very good as a size serve with roasted pork.

If you are interested, here is a link describing the history of the cardoon and artichoke.

Artichoke and Cardoon

[Jim Dixon]

a gratin with 1 cup of cream, what the hell

I make a more simple gratin....after cooking the cardoon, I cover it with a mixture of olive-oiled bread crumbs and Parmigiano, then bake.

I've also got this recipe for a quick cardoon pickle on my site.

And I've made a spread similar to an artichoke spread. You need to get the stringy outer skin off, but then cook and puree with garlic and olive oil.

I've got a bunch in my garden and they get really big, really fast. The make a dramatic ornamental.

I'll have to try the Italian trick Adam mentioned for blanching them. One October we saw young cardoons coming up between the grapes in family-sized vineyards in Umbria, obviuously planted after the grape harvest.

Jim

[mixmaster b]

I have started to see cardoons in some LA markets, and I want to try them because I adore artichokes.

Could some of you more experienced cardoon eaters elaborate a bit on how to select them? The ones I see look like big, ugly celery bunches--they always seem tough looking and dried out, so I have never taken any home. (Recipes seem to call for peeling, and the stalks I have seen look hollow, adding to my general cardoon confusion.)

Jackal 10, do you find the blanched cardoons produce section? I don't believe I've seen them.

[capers]

I'm so glad I read this. I have been growing cynara cardunculus in my flower beds for the foliage and flowers and hadn't thought to check to see if they are edible. Learn something new every day.

[jackal10]

Jackal 10, do you find the blanched cardoons produce section?  I don't believe I've seen them.

I find them in my vegetable patch. You really only want to eat the young, blanched leaves, and it then takes the plant a couple of seasons to recover from having the top sliced off. You can propgate from offsets - leaves with a bit of root attached pulled from the outside. For some reason they do OK in my heavy alkaline clay soil, whereas globe artichokes struggle.

They are occaisionally for sale in the equivalent of farmer's markets

Cynara cardunculus makes a stately plant, good grey-green background to show off roses, for example. If left they produce Globe Artichoke like buds and flowers, also edible if picked young, but smaller than artichokes. If you leave them until the blue thistle head flower shows its too late, but then flower arranger of the household may like them. You can dry them for winter decoration, head down, so as to keep the vivid blue colour.

Edited April 27, 2003 by jackal10 (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Suzanne --

check out Chez Panisse Vegetables.

Alice talks a lot about them. Can't think of any off the top of my head though. I think she uses them in a version of bagna cauda though.

Soba

[JSD]

I saw cardoons at the plant nursery today, but wasn't sure if I should get any (one or more?). Artichokes are an annual here, so would it make sense to plant this? Would it be a perennial here, like horseradish? I love artichokes so I'm intrigued with this. The fact that the nursery is carrying them doesn't really mean anything, because they also carry artichokes, which I wouldn't bother with here.

[slkinsey]

Anyone have a line on where to get Cardoons in NYC? I have never (well, hardly ever) seen them here.

[Suzanne F]

Anyone have a line on where to get Cardoons in NYC?  I have never (well, hardly ever) seen them here.

Funny you should ask; I'm making them again tonight for dinner.

I got them at Manhattan Fruit Exchange, in Chelsea Market. I also saw them in Fairway about 2 weeks ago.

And while still I haven't been up there, my guess is you can find them on Arthur Avenue.

[Aquitaine]

I haven't tried this, but Anne Bianchi has a recipe for "a rich, thick stew topped with spicy broccoli rabe" -- Ragu of Cardoons with Bitter Green Soffritto. It starts with sauteed wild mushrooms deglazed with vermouth.

Bianchi also includes a recipe for "Cardoon Wedges with Crushed Olive and Hazelnut Sauce."

[bianchi, Anne. Solo Verdura: The complete guide to cooking Tuscan vegetables. Hopewell, NJ: The Ecco Press, 1997.]

[Suzanne F]

Oooh, Aquitaine, that Ragu sounds fabulous! Thanks for the hint. I still have one -- what are they called -- head? stalk? left to cook. That dish has so many of our favorite vegetables. And the other one sounds pretty good, too. Are the hazelnuts toasted and crushed?

[stefanaccio]

You can find cardoons on the east coast sometimes at Wegmans. Best to call ahead first to see if they are in stock. More likely around Xmas time. I grow them in Maryland as a perrenial and take off a stalk or three at a time leaving the rest of the plant to continue growing. Have tried cutting the plants at the surface and covering the stump with mulch but this usually kills them. My relatives in Italy like them on the bitter side. My family in America is not crazy about too strong a taste so when I cook them in America a boil them for a bit and change the water a few times which reduces the bitterness. Buon appetito!

Casale-Villa with No Bidet