Recipe

Fried Cardoons Romagna Style

January 24, 2019

Giovanni

Editor

This month we would like to share a recipe based on cardoons. This is a lovely vegetable from the same family as artichokes, with a very similar flavor. In Romagna it is also called il gobbo (the hunchback), because at the beginning of winter it is put underground to whiten: it continues to grow without sunlight so that the cardoon turns white and becomes more tender.

The recipe we suggest here is one of the simplest traditional recipes, but it is sure to be a success! We promise that if you don’t know cardoons, you will fall in love with them and want to try many other recipes!

Ready?

Ingredients for five people

1 kg cardoons
half a lemon
200 ml peanut oil
300 g breadcrumbs
3 eggs

Preparation

Wash the cardoons. Using a knife or peeler, remove the thick outer filaments and cut them into 7-10 cm long pieces. Place them in a bowl with water slightly acidulated with a few drops of lemon juice and leave them to soak for about 5-10 minutes.
Transfer the cardoons one by one to a low, wide pot. Transfer the acidulated water to the pot as well and add water so that the cardoons are completely submerged. Turn the heat under the pot to high. Squeeze the rest of the lemon into the water and add a handful of coarse salt. Cover and boil for about 30-40 minutes.
When the cardoons are soft enough, drain them. The color of the cardoons will be close to beige: the lemon in the water has prevented them from oxidizing and turning blue. If this does happen, don’t worry: they will still be delicious!
Heat the peanut oil in a nonstick pan. In the meantime, take two soup plates from the cupboard: break three eggs into the first plate and fill the second plate with breadcrumbs. Take the first piece of cardoon, dip it in the egg and then coat it with breadcrumbs.
When the oil is hot, dip the first piece of breaded cardoon into it and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from the oil and leave to dry on a couple of sheets of kitchen paper. Repeat for all the pieces.
Now all that remains is to season to taste and serve!

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Fried cardoons can be eaten fried like this or sautéed in a pan with garlic and tomato sauce. In the latter case, they will keep better for a couple of days. If you prefer them simply fried, it is best to eat them immediately after frying.

Buon appetito!