How to Cook Cardoons

Cardoons are cousins of artichokes and thistles. They are cultivated for their edible stalks, much like celery, but they aren't eaten raw. Traditionally grown and served in European Mediterranean areas, cardoons have been revered as delicacies there for over 300 years.
Here's a great way to transform what looks like an overgrown stalk of ordinary celery into a tasty, you-can't-stop-eating-it side dish, sautéed with onions, toasted pine nuts, honey, fresh thyme, and a touch of dry sherry. Although this recipe for honeyed cardoons is a bit time-consuming, the end result is well worth it. The stalks may be prepared for cooking up to a day ahead of time.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• ¾ pound fresh cardoon stalks Salt Fresh lemon ¼ cup fresh, raw pine nuts Medium onion 2 tbsp. olive oil 2 tbsp. dry sherry or white wine---not sweet 2 tbsp. honey 1 tbsp. thyme ¼ tsp. black pepper

1. Rinse the cardoon stalks very well. Trim the ends and remove the strings, just like you would with fresh celery. Discard small leaves that may be present in the heart. Remove any outer stalks that may be discolored. Slice the remaining stalks into 2-inch pieces.

2. Fill a heavy saucepan with ½ gallon of water. Add 2 tbsp. salt, and soak the sliced cardoon stalks in the water for an hour. This will help prevent a slightly bitter aftertaste.

3. Add the juice of one fresh lemon to the pan, and boil the cardoon stalks for 30 to 40 minutes. Drain the stalks in a colander and allow them to cool to room temperature. Slice them into half-inch pieces.

4. Spread ¼ cup of raw pine nuts in a single layer in a heavy skillet and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Watch them carefully and stir constantly, because they'll burn rather than toast quickly and easily. Shake the skillet back and forth now and then while cooking. Remove the pine nuts from the heat.

5. Preheat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high. Cut a medium onion in half, slice it thinly, and add it to the pan along with ½ tsp. salt. Cook and stir until the edges of the onions just begin to turn brown. Add the cardoons and stir well to combine. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for two minutes, stirring constantly.

6. Add 2 tbsp. dry sherry or white wine, and stir well. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a rapid boil, stirring constantly. Add 2 tbsp. honey and the toasted pine nuts, stirring to coat all the ingredients well. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the liquid forms a shiny glaze.

7. Turn off the heat, and sprinkle the mixture with 1 tbsp. thyme and ¼ tsp. ground black pepper. Toss well, and serve the honeyed cardoons immediately over wild rice with your favorite chicken or pork entrée.

Tips & Warnings

• Wrap fresh cardoon stalks in plastic and refrigerate them in your crisper until you're ready to use them. They're usually quite long, so you may have to cut them so that they'll fit. You can store cardoons for as long as seven days.
• Cardoons can be overly fibrous if they are not cooked well enough.

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