Cardoon Parmigiana

The cardoon parmigiana is a variant of the more classic eggplant dish, but with a decidedly particular flavor given by the cardoon. Here is the recipe to prepare a delicious cardoon parmigiana.

Ingredients

• 1 kg of cardoons
• Flour, as needed for coating
• Oil for frying
• 300 g of tomato passata
• 2 garlic cloves
• 200 g of mozzarella (or a similar stringy cheese)
• 50 g of grated parmesan
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh basil
• Eggs (optional, for a thicker breading)

Preparation

1. Clean the cardoons by removing the tougher, more fibrous outer ribs and cut them into pieces about 10 cm long. Be careful to immerse the cardoon pieces in water acidulated with lemon or vinegar to prevent them from turning black.
2. Boil the cardoons in salted water until they are soft but still al dente. Drain them well.
3. If you decide to use the eggs, in a bowl beat them with salt and pepper. Pass the cardoons in the egg and then in the flour. If you don’t use the eggs, pass them directly in the flour.
4. Fry the cardoons in hot oil until they are golden and crispy. Drain them and place them on absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
5. In a pan, sauté the garlic cloves in extra virgin olive oil, add the tomato passata, season with salt and pepper and let cook for about 15 minutes. Add a few basil leaves towards the end of cooking.
6. In a baking dish, create a first layer of fried cardoons, then pour some tomato sauce and sprinkle with diced mozzarella and grated parmesan.
7. Repeat the layers until the ingredients are used up, finishing with a final layer of sauce and parmesan.
8. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 20-25 minutes or until the surface is nicely golden and the mozzarella is well melted.

Serve the cardoon parmigiana hot or warm, it is also excellent the next day.

Trivia

Cardoon is an uncommon ingredient outside of Italy, but in some Italian regions it is highly appreciated and used in various ways, especially in traditional winter recipes.