Stewed cardoons or cardoons cooked in a pan with tomato, a tasty recipe my mom makes in the Tuscan style. I couldn’t resist asking her for help with this dish, given her great skill with stews in general. Do you remember her delicious stewed borlotti beans? And not to mention the stewed fennel or the stewed zucchini, in short, recipes with vegetables in tomato are her strong suit. Today I propose this side dish, or if made in abundance, it can even be served as a main course. You’ll want to make them often once you taste them.
To make stewed cardoons, you will need a few simple ingredients and a little patience to clean them. How to clean cardoons? Well, I’ll explain that in the recipe I’m about to share, but in the meantime, prepare some disposable gloves because otherwise, you’ll end up with black hands. Let me know and enjoy your meal!
TRY ALSO:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 346.80 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 28.43 (g) of which sugars 0.39 (g)
- Proteins 4.16 (g)
- Fat 25.86 (g) of which saturated 3.61 (g)of which unsaturated 21.44 (g)
- Fibers 6.26 (g)
- Sodium 1,000.47 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 295 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
- 2.2 lbs cardoon (or gobbo)
- 1 cup tomato puree
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 cup glass water
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
- 1 lemon
Tools
- Pan
- Pot
Recipe
Let’s go through all the steps to make this delicious stewed cardoon recipe.
Let’s start with the most challenging part of the recipe, cleaning the cardoons.
I recommend using disposable gloves to avoid staining your hands and cleaning the cardoons just before cooking them as they oxidize quickly like artichokes.
Remove the ends of the cardoons, the leaves, and the outer ribs, wash the cardoon well then remove the toughest outer strings from the stems, like you do with celery.Cut the stems into pieces about 4-6 inches each and place them in a bowl of water acidulated with lemon juice to prevent them from darkening.
Once they’re all cleaned, drain them and put them to boil in a pot of salted water for at least 30 minutes, sometimes it takes longer, they should be tender.
Once cooked, drain them, place them on a plate, and coat them well with flour, one by one.
Now that our cardoons are boiled, let’s proceed with the cooking of the cardoons with tomato.
Take a pan or skillet, add the olive oil along with a clove of garlic, let it brown, and remove it. Arrange the cardoons and let them brown for about 15 minutes, turning them often, then add the tomato puree together with a cup of water, salt, and cook everything for about 30-45 minutes on low heat with the lid on.Here are your stewed cardoons ready, also known as gobbi, a recipe that is not very quick but undoubtedly easy to savor in all its goodness. A vegetarian recipe that perfectly lends itself to “scarpetta”; have you prepared the bread? Enjoy your meal!
Storage and Tips
Storage: Stewed cardoons, once cooked, can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days in a container with a lid. I recommend reheating them before enjoying them again.
Tips: If you like, you can add some hot chili pepper.
To make the dish more flavorful, you can add half a bouillon cube to the tomato sauce.
If desired, you can add some smoked bacon.
Storage: Stewed cardoons, once cooked, can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days in a container with a lid. I recommend reheating them before enjoying them again.
Tips: If you like, you can add some hot chili pepper.
To make the dish more flavorful, you can add half a bouillon cube to the tomato sauce.
If desired, you can add some smoked bacon.
