Pardon, re Cardoon

dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m

15 years ago

Pardon me for bringing Jim's cardoon creation from WFD to here. Not everyone views the FWD thread. I thought cardoon is a very interesting vegetable, may be this would encourage more people in trying out more new kinds of veggies.

I have a very nice book, "melisssa's great book of produce", it gives a lot of information as well as preparation ideas about quite a variety of fruits and vegetables. Lot's of beautiful pictures too.

I have had cardoon (or cardoni) a few times. I like it very much. Go check out on WFD what a good job Jim did. The following is copied from the book, additional things you can do with this artichoke's cousin:

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SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Soupy but scrumptious: Blanch cardoni (see Prep), trim, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups).

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large, deep skillet on medium-nigh heat. Add 1 onion (chopped) and 1 large dove garlic (minced). Cook until softened but not browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add 1 (is-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice, blanched cardoni, 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano, salt, and pepper.

Bring to-boil on high heat; reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes. Serve in shallow bowls spooned over cooked rice.

Marinated: Blanch cardoni (see Prep), trim, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups). Place in glass or ceramic bowl. Cover with favorite homemade or store-bought vinaigrette (see Simple Vinaigrette, page 310). Cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve cold garnished with drained capers, minced Italian parsley, and olives.

Accompany with slices of rustic bread.

Dippers: Blanch cardoni (see Prep), trim, and cut lengthwise into sticks to use for dipping. Bagna cauda is a traditional dip for these in Italy It's a warm mixture of olive oil, butter, minced anchovies, lemon, salt, and pepper.

Cardoni also tastes delicious with a wide variety of dips.

Cardoni bake: Blanch cardoni (see Prep), trim, and cut into 1-inch pieces. In a baking dish, toss with olive oil (enough to lightly coat) and a mixture of minced fresh thyme and Italian parsley Season with salt and pepper. Bake in 350-degree oven until very tender and heated through, about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

dcarch

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Comments (3)

BeverlyAL
15 years ago
I've never before heard of Cardoon. When I googled images I get a picture of what we call a giant thistle with prickly leaves. Leaves so prickly that if we step on them with a bare foot we think we will surely die. They grow profusly here as weeds and all people want to do is kill them. Is this the same thing you are speaking of? If so, how do you harvest the prickly things?
jimster
15 years ago
First, thank you dcarch for posting the suggestions for cooking cardoons. I will make use of those suggestions.

Please post info from your book regarding preparation (blanching) of cardoons for use in various recipes. From my limited experience I have found they need at least an hour of parboiling (blanching?) to become tender and reduce bitterness.

This requirement may have to do with the way mine were grown. The plants were started from seed and set out in the spring. They were harvested at the end of summer. I have seen advise to blanch (the other kind of blanching) the stalks by wrapping them to exclude light for two or three weeks prior to harvesting. I decided against that because of the work involved in wrapping those huge, gangly plants. Nevertheless, with sufficient parboiling, I found them tender and good tasting.

Cardoons are perennial. I suspect that younger stalks, harvested before hot weather, may require less parboiling. Because i grow them in a community garden which is tilled annually, I have to grow them as an annual. Maybe it's time to rejuvenate the little garden behind my house. BTW, cardoons caught my interest as an alternative to artichokes, which I've given up on. I recommend that other frustrated artichoke growers consider cardoons.

Beverly, are you sure you have wild cardoons? You may have. Just rememember, all cardoons are big thistles but not all big thistles are cardoons. :-) I will see what I can find out about that. I've posted pics of mine on the WFD thread and will post another here if I take a better one.

I read warnings about handling cardoons because they have very sharp, long spines. Being careful how I grasped them and cutting them off at the base, one by one, I suffered no stabs. I trimmed off the spiny leaves immediately.

Jim
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My mother, when she had a garden, used to grow cardoon in Zone 8, with success. If I remember it correctly, she would grow transplants, and transplant them in the garden in summer. I now remember she used a part of the garden that was part-shaded by a building. In my Zone 6 garden, I trialed it both in shade and sun. I found no difference, so I am growing it in shade where I have space and clay. Let me also mention that I have both sand (natural) and clay (brought in to fill a depression). In sand, it failed year after year. In clay, it is at home and a breeze to grow (no pests). Besides water, it also prefers a good liming and good amounts of organic matter.
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Sally and Shari, I have had cardoon in my garden for over 6 years and never found it to be invasive at all. It certainly hasn't spread by suckers or anything like that and if it is invasive, it may be as Shari said via the seeds. I like the look of the flowers so typically cut mine and use them as cut flowers. I have attempted to direct seed it in beds and it has never come up for me in that manner. It is easy to start from seed inside however. The couple of times I have left the seed pod on the plant so that I could collect seeds, removal of the seeds has been very laborious and time intensive. Perhaps the pods need to sit outside over the winter to make the seeds easier to remove. One note in my experience is that if the flowers are allowed to stay on the plant until they are brown (late summer or so), the plant as a whole tends to brown out also--almost as if it is going to die. I typically cut the plant back severely at this point and fresh new foliage emerges. The plant makes a great architectural form in the garden and I couldn't imagine not having it in the garden. Here is a picture of a plant I started from seed last spring. It is 4 feet tall and just striking in appearance. My original 6 year old plant was removed this spring from a bed I had it in to make room for more clematis--a plant that I tend to collect in quantity.
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BeverlyAL
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Jim, I saw your picture and indeed it looks like the thistle that grows wild here. It is the most hated weed around. That's why I find it difficult to believe that it is not only edible but good.

Pardon, re Cardoon

Comments (3)

BeverlyAL

jimster

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