Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Fried Cardoons

What the heck is a cardoon, you ask? It's a big celery-looking vegetable related to the artichoke, that tastes a little of both. Oh, just go to Wikipedia.

How do you cook them? They're very fibrous, so they need to be boiled first. After boiling, you could cook them in a gratin topped with breadcrumbs. Or you could bread and fry them like I did.

Fried Cardoons
1. Trim any brown spots, and peel any accessible strings from the cardoons.
2. Cut into 2-3" pieces.
3. Boil for 20-30 minutes or until soft. Drain and pat dry.
4. Dip each piece in beaten egg, then in seasoned bread crumbs, pressing on the crumbs so they stick.
5. Fry in canola or vegetable oil until browned.

I served them with Caesar dressing. Marinara sauce would be equally delicious. Sriracha mayonnaise would probably be good, too.

8 comments:

kirbie said...

Hmm, never had a cardoon before. Where to you buy them at?

Vicki said...

Hey Kirbie - I've only ever seen them at Claro's in Arcadia, and most recently at Major Market in Escondido.

Stash said...

I admit, that I have no idea what a cardoon is. You win this round of Jeopardy.

Vicki said...

Hey Stash - Ooh, did I stump the chef? Woot.

Bob said...

Never heard of them, but they sure look good fried! Heh.

Vicki said...

Hi Bob - Doesn't everything look better fried?

Joanne said...

I've never tried a cardoon before. But your description sounds delicious!

Vicki said...

Hi Joanne - This was my first time having them. I'm hoping to find them again!