Cardoons

Anyone know if these are available in Chicago and where?

I hae frequently seen cardoons -- sometimes called gardoni -- at Jerry's. I think they might be seasonal but can't say what the season is. Call first! BTW, what do you do with cardoons? --Joy

Jerry's Fruit and Garden
off of corner of Milwaukee Ave and Oakton
7901 South Milwaukee Avenue
Niles, IL 60714-3196
(847) 967-1440

cardoon wiki

I have seen them at Caputo's and Valli's around Christmas. I have had them baked, dipped in batter and fried (they need to be cooked first) and also as a filling for ravioli. Delicious, with a flavor that is very similar to artichoke hearts.

Jyoti

Several days ago I saw cardoons at Brookhaven Marketplace in Darien so they're definitely around now in the Chicago area. They looked significantly smaller than the ones I'm used to seeing. I'm no cardoon expert so I don't know if small is desirable or not.

Brookhaven Marketplace
7516 S Cass Av
Darien IL
630-512-0600

Rene G wrote:Several days ago I saw cardoons at Brookhaven Marketplace in Darien so they're definitely around now in the Chicago area. They looked significantly smaller than the ones I'm used to seeing. I'm no cardoon expert so I don't know if small is desirable or not.

I've only cooked cardoons once, but after that I have started paying attention to them at Caputo's, and it seems the larger ones are stringier. I'm guessing smaller/younger might be more tender, but that's largely speculation.

I think you have to peel them either way, the larger ones might be easier to do so?

I've occasionally seen them at Marketplace on Oakton in Skokie, but usually later in the spring I think. Definitely not there this past weekend.

Cardoon au Gratin (cardon in French) is one of the most popular vegetable dish in Geneva, Switzerland, and in the neighboring Alpines areas of Savoie, as well as in Lyon. Several Provençal recipes also use cardoons. It is a traditional Christmas dinner dish that requires a very meticulous preparation.
It sort of belongs to the artichoke family, and grows in countries like Spain, Italy, and North Africa
The name is an alteration from French ''Chardon'', coming from a Latin word meaning thistle.
As Teatpuller said, you have to peel them carefully,then remove the remaining small strings by rubbing them in a piece of clean cloth. Then you have to cut them in 4 inch long segments that you put immediately in cold water containing lemon juice so that they do not get discolored ( turning grey-black), then you boil them gently in water (again containing lemon juice) for 30 to 45 minutes, and cover them, in a enameled cast iron or pyrex baking dish, with a bechamel sauce flavored with a touch of nutmeg. You then top the whole thing with grated Emmenthal cheese and put it in a 375 degrees oven for about 40 minutes. When the top turns "gratineed", serve very warm.

I bow to all of the culinary expertise here. I can't help but think, however, that if you cooked anything of plant like material using the suggested methods, it would taste great! Just saying

razbry wrote:I bow to all of the culinary expertise here. I can't help but think, however, that if you cooked anything of plant like material using the suggested methods, it would taste great! Just saying

Oh yeah. I cooked mine in cream with nutmeg. It was pretty good, especially the cream and nutmeg part.

razbry wrote:I bow to all of the culinary expertise here. I can't help but think, however, that if you cooked anything of plant like material using the suggested methods, it would taste great! Just saying

yeah, but unlike cardoons, you don't HAVE to cook other vegetables that way to make them edible.

Thanks for the info. I follow Judy Witts Francini, her blog http://divinacucina.blogspot.com and her website www.divinacucina.com and on FB. I took a cooking class with her in Florence. Such Fun! She often contributes to Food Connect.

http://www.foodconnect.com/article/2968 ... t-are-They

I saw cardoons a few weeks ago at Caputo's on Harlem. They were in the entryway.

OK, Caputo's is the place!

Note that Caputo's has moved their Elmwood Park store and changed their layout since aschie30 was there. The store is now at 2400 North Harlem, the northwest corner of Grand and Harlem.

Has anyone seen cardoons for sale in the Chicago area?

While in Morocco, I had a chicken tagine with braised cardoons. As I first started eating it, I thought that a translation error meant I was actually eating chicken with braised celery, but as the meal progressed I realized that this vegetable was, in fact, something different. (And I came to recognize cardoons for sale in every produce market I walked through.) Despite it's celery-like appearance, Wikipedia tells me that it's actually a member of the artichoke family. I'd love to try my hand at cooking it.

I've seen them once in a while at Marketplace on Oakton in Skokie. Much more rarely at the Garden Fresh in Northbrook.

Caputo's in Elmwood Park has them a lot, but not sure if they ALWAYS have them.

Caputo's on Harlem is a pretty reliable source for cardoons. They may be tucked away in an odd spot, ask if you don't see them.

Caputos in Elmwood Park consistently has cardoons. They had a pretty good supply when I was there this past Friday. Cardoons are roughly next to the fennel in the middle of the south side of an island in the main produce section. There are no out of the way produce sections since the move to 2400 North Harlem.

alain40 wrote:you have to peel them carefully,then remove the remaining small strings by rubbing them in a piece of clean cloth. Then you have to cut them in 4 inch long segments that you put immediately in cold water containing lemon juice so that they do not get discolored ( turning grey-black), then you boil them gently in water (again containing lemon juice) for 30 to 45 minutes, and cover them, in a enameled cast iron or pyrex baking dish, with a bechamel sauce flavored with a touch of nutmeg. You then top the whole thing with grated Emmenthal cheese and put it in a 375 degrees oven for about 40 minutes. When the top turns "gratineed", serve very warm.

I've only made cardoon once, with a similar (though not so rich) process, and wasn't too impressed.

Your recipe would work well for cooking artichoke, elm tree, perhaps even gravel.

Wow...thanks for the quick replies (and to whichever moderator merged my post into this thread that I'd completely missed).