You have to REALLY want to do this. Cardone take a long time. The prep is laborious, even slightly hazardous, but the result is very satisfying. But you have to REALLY want to do this.
Here’s how a bunch of cardone looks. They’re rather ugly. They come in a bunch, like celery. They’re kind of aggressive looking. Like they could beat the crap out of your celery.
This is a bunch I got this morning at Nino Salvaggio. Handle with care. Cardone are part of the thistle family, and these guys will pick you. Trim/hack the end off a few inches up the stalks. (See below.) I cut off a good two inches from this bunch.
This bunch will consist of 4-5 stalks that will be edible. The inner stalks are very leafy and thorny. I’ll throw those away.
You can see the thorns along the stalks’ edges. Carefully remove all the leaves from the edge of the stalk.
And use a paring knife up and down the edges to trim the edges a tiny bit. Your goal is running your finger up and down the edge without injuring yourself.
Lots of leafy, thorny refuse. (See below). Into the trash with it. Not the disposal in your sink.
The trimmed, washed stalks you will now slice and then boil. You’re taming them. You’re cooking the toughness out of them.
I boiled these pieces for 30 minutes while writing this recipe. Now I’ll transfer the boiled cardone pieces to a frying pan I can cover. First a little garlic in olive oil.
Warm the oil and garlic, then add the cardone. And water, keeping them wet but not soupy.
After they’ve had a nice rolling saute, I’ll add 3-4 tablespoons of tomato puree and keep them cooking, covered. Always covered. These are tough buggers. Cook time ninety minutes or so, adding a little water as needed (and maybe a little more tomato). Add salt. My wife recommends butter. That never hurt anything. When I think they’re done, I cook them another 30 minutes, still covered. I’m not kidding. They should finally be tender, chewy but not fibrous.
It’s a side dish. If you don’t eat it all, be happy. Reheated cardone are delicious.