Cardoons with cheese. Good, even better. If you’ve never tried it, with this recipe once tried, I’m sure you’ll prepare it again.
It had been a long time since I ate baked gratin cardoons, so the other day, as soon as I saw them at my local market, I bought them right away!
Fresh and firm from farm to table, this vegetable is known for its antioxidant and purifying properties, rich in fiber and minerals.
In terms of taste, they are actually more similar to artichokes, low in calories. The cardoon is also called the wild artichoke.
How many memories they bring back to me, to when my mom used to prepare them.
Usually at Christmas, they were always on the table. I always ate a big plate, and then my mom loaded them with grated cheese, which was delicious.
This version is oven-cooked, but it can also be made in a pan; the important thing is that they must be cooked first in acidulated water.
Let’s see how to cook cardoons with cheese. To be consumed mainly in autumn and winter.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 4/6
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Winter
- Energy 184.95 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 9.63 (g) of which sugars 0.36 (g)
- Proteins 8.17 (g)
- Fat 13.09 (g) of which saturated 8.47 (g)of which unsaturated 4.61 (g)
- Fibers 2.17 (g)
- Sodium 772.26 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 140 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for the Cardoons with Cheese
- 1 cardoon (about one kilogram cleaned weight)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 lemon
- 1.75 oz butter
- 4.23 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
- to taste salt
Tools
- Pot
- Bowl
- Baking Dish
- Colander
- Electric Grater
Preparation of Cardoons with Cheese
To purchase good quality plants, it is necessary to check that the stalks are white and compact.
If they have green areas, indeed, the cardoons will be less fresh or even bitter.
Take a stalk of cardoon and cut it into pieces.
If it turns out large, split it in half.
With a sharp knife, cut from the end and remove all strings from each piece.
Place them in a bowl with water and squeezed lemon as you remove the strings. This process will prevent the cardoon pieces from darkening.
The cardoon must be cooked for an hour in water with lemon juice and flour so that its ribs retain their very white color.
(If you use a pressure cooker like me, cook it for 15 minutes after it starts whistling).
Once cooked, drain the cardoons and let them cool slightly.
Take a baking dish and brush it with oil, create a first layer of cardoons, distribute some butter flakes, sprinkle with grated cheese.
Proceed in the same way by forming the second and third layers, ending with only butter flakes and grated cheese.
“Tip for a light version: replace the butter with extra virgin olive oil, I assure you they come out delicious.”
Bake at 392°F for about 30 minutes, activate the grill function in the last 5 minutes to form a light crust on the surface.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy your meal.
Tips
Remove the leaves and separate the stalks from the head. Cut the stalks into pieces not more than four inches long.
Cut them in half lengthwise if they turn out to be too wide.
The cardoon is low in calories and has a lot of properties.
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