Cardoons are quite tasty, but not that common in the US. Artusi doesn't say how many cardoons to use. I'd suggest a pound to serve 4 as a side dish.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Cardoons (See below for amounts)
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
- Milk or cream
Preparation:
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.
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.
