Cardi: Cardoons

Not too long ago there was a thread devoted to Cardoons on the Rec.Food.Cooking newsgroup, in which a number of people said they gathered them wild, some from around the Golden Gate Bridge. I wasn't surprised to read this, because when I was in the US in the winter of 1996preparing my translation of Pellegrino Artusi's La Scienza in Cucina for publication there wasn't a single cardoon to be found in any of the Philadelphia supermarkets, despite the weather's being perfect for them. Since then I have found them on a couple of supermarket sites, for example Wegman's, which means that they are being introduced to the American market (I assume, given their popularity in northern Italy, especially Piemonte, that they're readily available in the rest of Europe).

In the course of the thread a number of people asked what they are; Elizabeth Faulkner described them as "celery on steroids."Nice, and manages to convey the vegetable's slightly menacing air as well -- they're 18 to 22 inch long, pale green to white stalks ribbed like celery, but with sharper edges. Some are straight but the most sought after are curved, a feature that results in their being nicknamed gobbi, or hunchbacks. From a botanical standpoint they're close cousins of the artichoke, but do not produce flowers -- what one eats is the stalk, whose preparation requires a certain amount of care. Cardoons are quite fibrous; the fibers run lengthwise, like those in celery stalks, and must be stripped out. Once they have been cut they darken quickly (like artichokes) unless put in lightly acidulated water.

There wasn't much in the R.F.C thread (at least the part I saw) about what to do with cardoons once you have them. They can be eaten either raw (especially as an antipasto) or cooked. In terms of seasoning, they're rather sweet, a characteristic that is generally balanced through the use of anchovies, cheese, or white sauces.

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Cardata alla Torinese -- Torino-Style Cardoons

A recipe from Le Ricette di Cucina Del Piemonte, which notes that the recipe is typical of the middle class in Torino, and that we're dealing with a refined version of bagna caoda -- no garlic, and enriched with truffles.

• Cardoons (about a pound I'd say)
• The juice of a lemon
• An abundant quarter cup unsalted butter
• Olive Oil
• 4-5 salted anchovies (buy these at your delicatessen)
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• A small white truffle (though a nice touch, this is optional)

Squeeze the lemon and add the juice to a bowl of water. Wash the cardoons, strip out the fibers, cut them into 2 to 3-inch pieces, and put the pieces in the water to keep them from darkening.

Scale and bone the anchovies, discarding head and tail if need be, and grind them up. Work them with the butter to obtain a smooth creamy sauce, adding a little olive oil as necessary, and flavoring everything with a goodly pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.

Slice the truffle thinly over the butter sauce, drain the cardoons and arrange them on a plate, and serve as an antipasto.

This will go well with a white wine, for example a Roero Arneis.

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I Cardi di Re Alberto -- King Albert's Cardoons

Another, slightly more involved cardoon-based antipasto, which was, according to Giovanni Goria, a great favorite of the King of Piemonte. Here's the recipe, drawn from Mr. Goria's La Cucina del Piemonte:

You'll want a number of cardoons, preferably of the gobbo variety from Nizza Monferrato (figure about a pound). Wash them well, strip out the fibers, cut them in 1 to 3-inch pieces and put them in acidulated water to keep them from darkening. When you are finished cutting them up boil them in a mixture of water and milk to which you have added a bit of flour (figure a pint of milk (500 ml), at least a pint of water, and a tablespoon of flour) until they are half done. Drain the stalks and transfer them to a skillet with good unsalted butter (a quarter cup or so) whole cloves of garlic, and a few bay leaves (2-3). Cook them over a brisk flame until they are tender, 10-15 minutes. Shake the skillet occasionally, and while the cardoons are cooking scale and bone your anchovies (figure 1 1/2 ounces per pound, or 100 g per kilo). Stir them into the skillet and help them dissolve by rubbing across them with the back of a wooden spoon. Add a little more butter and a goodly pinch of mixed spices (freshly ground pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves), and, if the contents of the skillet look dry, a little hot water.

Stir well to make sure the cardoons are coated with the sauce, and continue cooking until they have browned. Serve them on heated plates as an antipasto, with grated Parmigiano on the side.

In terms of a wine I'd suggest a rich white, for example a good Roero Arneis or perhaps a Franciacorta Bianco.

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Fritto di Cardoni -- Fried Cardoons

This recipe from Artusi's Scienza in Cucina; we omitted it from The Art of Eating Well for want of space. Artusi doesn't say how many cardoons; I'd figure about a pound as a side dish to serve 4.

Peel the strings from the cardoons, boil them in salted water until just shy of being fork tender, cut them into pieces, and sauté them in butter, salting them again lightly. Then flour them, dip them in the batter below, and fry them. The come in handy as an accompaniment to fried or stewed meat.

Pastella Per le Fritture -- Batter for frying

• 1 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon good oil
• 1 tablespoon aquavit
• 1 egg, separated
• A pinch of salt
• Cold water

Stir the yolk and the other ingredients except the white into the flour, then add water bit at a time until you have a not too liquid batter. Stir well and let the batter rest for several hours. Before using it whip the white and fold it in. This batter is especially well suited for frying fruits and vegetables.

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Sformato di Cardoni -- Cardoon Timbale

This recipe from Artusi's Scienza in Cucina.

Begin with some nice cardoons. Assuming that they weigh, 3/4 pound after you have stripped out the fibers and cut them into small chunks, you will need the following:

• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 3 eggs
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano

Boil the cardoons until they're half cooked in lightly salted water, drain them, and sauté them in half the butter. Salt them, and when they have absorbed the butter, sprinkle some of the milk over them and simmer them until done. You can leave the pieces as they are or blend them.

Using the remaining butter, milk, and a level tablespoon of flour, make a béchamel sauce. Beat the eggs, mix all the ingredients together and check seasoning. Transfer the mixture to a buttered smooth sided mold (it should fill the mold to a depth of about 2 inches). Bake the timbale in a 325 degree F (150 C) oven for 25-30 minutes or until done, or heat it over a double boiler until it sets.

Serve hot, to 6, accompanied by a tossed salad and a white wine, for example a Vernaccia di San Gimignano or a Vermentino.

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Cardoni in Umido -- Stewed Cardoons

This recipe from Artusi's Scienza in Cucina; we omitted it from The Art of Eating Well for want of space. Artusi doesn't say how many to use. I'd suggest a pound to serve 4 as a side dish.

Wash the cardoons, strip away the fibers, and chop them into 2-inch lengths. Boil them until close to fork tender in lightly salted water. In the meantime, mince two cloves of garlic and a bunch of parsley. When the cardoons are done, drain them, and then finish cooking them in a skillet with the 1/4 cup olive oil, the minced herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.

If you would like them better tasting and more elegant, pour an egg-and-lemon sauce over them after transferring them to the serving dish. To make the sauce, beat several eggs with the juice of a lemon, heat the mixture over a low flame, stirring constantly, till it begins to thicken, and pour it over the vegetables. If you choose not to use the sauce, at least sprinkle the cardoons with a pinch of grated Parmigiano.

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Cardoni in Balsamella -- Cardoons in Béchamel Sauce

This recipe from Artusi's Scienza in Cucina. He doesn't say how many to use. I'd suggest a pound to serve 4 as a side dish.

Discard the toughest ribs, strip the filaments from the others, and boil them in salted water until half cooked.

Let me take the opportunity to say, for once and for all, that greens should be dropped into boiling water, while legumes should start to cook in cold water. Cut the cardoons into inch long pieces and sauté them with butter and salt to taste. Add some milk, or, even better, cream, and simmer them until they're done, then bind the sauce with a tablespoon or two of béchamel sauce. Sprinkle the vegetables with grated Parmigiano and remove them at once from the flames. This dish goes very well with pot roasts, stewed cutlets, stewed giblets, and other such dishes. Coarsely diced turnips can be cooked in the same manner, as can diced potatoes, or sliced zucchini, though the latter shouldn't be boiled first.

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Good Food & Drink,
Kyle Phillips

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Various sources, introductory text & translations © Kyle Phillips.