Butter-Braised Cardoons With Mushrooms and Bread Crumbs
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Salt, as needed
- 4slender cardoon stalks, the paler in color the better
- ½lemon, plus a wedge for squeezing over the finished dish
- ½stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1large clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 4large shiitake (caps only) or other mushrooms, cleaned and sliced, about 1½ cups
- ½cup lightly packed fresh coarse bread crumbs
- Pepper, to taste
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
199 calories; 13 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 518 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it moderately. Strip the cardoons of leaves and string as you would celery. Cut each stalk lengthwise into 2 or 3 long strips, then crosswise into 2-inch lengths. You’ll have about 3 cups. Squeeze the lemon juice into the water and boil the cardoons until fairly tender, 10 to 12 minutes; drain and rinse.
- Step 2
Melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet wide enough to accommodate the cardoons comfortably. When the foam subsides, add the cardoons, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until they take on a bit of color, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms are mostly tender, 5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and a pinch of salt and raise the heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until the bread crumbs brown a bit and the cardoons are fully tender and sweet, 5 minutes longer.
- Step 3
Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the top, taste for salt, add pepper to taste and serve hot or warm.
Private Notes
Comments
We received cardoons in our CSA box and our farmer gave us another recipe for blanching them. We did and found them to be an odd combination of bitter and boring. On a whim, I decided to try this recipe with the already blanched cardoons, and we were thrilled! The bitterness disappeared, and they took on the best flavor. This was one of the best recipes I have made all year!
Oh, how I wish I could find cardoons! My pop used to go foraging for them in the parks around our place in the Bronx where they grew wild, lo so many years ago and I have NEVER ever seen them in markets anywhere. I loved them ... just lightly breaded and seasoned with S&P and fried is how we ate them. This looks terrific. With each of your recipes, Mark, I fall more in love with you!
We've had Crdoons growing in our garden for 2 years but never ate them.
Tonight, we did. AMAZING! This recipe really worked well & they were truly delicious.
This will be made again & served to guests.
This was surprisingly delicious, given how simple the process was (once I finished prepping the cardoons). Very savory and toasty, and while the mushrooms didn’t add a ton of flavor themselves, their texture and their natural juiciness really worked here.
Cardoons were brought to America from Sicily (gardoons) and southern Italy in the very early 20th century during a major migration prompted by drought and crop failures. Traditionally, after removing leaves and strings, they are cut into 6 inch lengths and boiled until fork tender, as long as 45 minutes. Drain and dry then dip into beaten egg and then dredge in Italian-flavored bread crumbs. Last step is to fry in olive oil until browned and crisp. A holiday specialty in Italian households.
This is indeed worth the effort. Absolutely delicious with chanterelle and shiitake mushrooms and some scallion greens. Don’t skimp on the butter. The ineffable taste of artichokes comes through in the cardoons and requires a careful wine match (Gruner Veltliner recommended).