Carduni

Had Thanksgiving with my side of the family for the first time in ages (excluding 2007 when Ilan and I stayed longer and Scott went back to Dallas). Love cooking with my family. I think just about everything we made was tweaked or created in collaboration, except the Turkey. I made the spice rubbed roast turkey from Cooks Illustrated along with their Turkey Gravy, which I divided and added some dark chocolate to one part to make a savory chocolate gravy. (Those who have seen Chocolat know my inspiration and have probably read about my quest to make the perfect chocolate gravy. It was pretty good, but not perfect.)

Other items on the menu included my mom's sherry glazed yams, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole from scratch, corn bread stuffing with pecans, dried apricots, and sage, stuffed artichokes, lovely salad with persimmons and goat cheese, carduni, home made cranberry sauce and persimmon chutney. We had a lot of food!

My mom taught my sister and I how to make Carduni this year. As with most ethnic foods, they were developed out of poverty and invention. A Cardoon is part of the artichoke plant. It looks like really tough celery and is a little bigger. Noni used to make it every holiday and since he is passed my mom makes it each holiday. Surprisingly the boys ate it up! Here's the recipe:

2-3 Stalks of Cardoons, depending on size and how much you have to discard (available, but not always in stock at whole foods and ethnic markets. You may have to call around and hunt)
Eggs
Milk
Italian Breadcrumbs (Progresso)
Grated Parmesan or Parmesan and Romano Blend
Olive oil

Trim the Carduni:
Cut ends off carduni stalks and trim points off the sides. Run a knife down the back of the carduni to remove the ribs. Cut into 4-5 inch pieces.

Cook the Carduni:
Place carduni in a pressure cooker or pot of boiling water. If using a pressure cooker, seal and bring up to boiling then turn off and allow the pot to cool (touchable) before removing the lid. If using a regular pot boil for an hour or so until cardoons are tender. Cool completely (or overnight)
Bread the Carduni:Beat eggs and a little milk in a bowl or pie plate. In a separate bowl combing 3 parts breadcrumbs to 1 part cheese. Pick up a cardoon and flatten it a little (breaking it's back). Dip it in the egg mixture then coat in bread crumbs. (Tip: use two different utensils - one for the egg mixture and one for the breadcrumbs) Place the breaded carduni in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cover layer with wax paper and press down to press in the breadcrumbs. Repeat layers until you are finished and refrigerate.

Frying the Carduni:
Heat Olive oil in a large pan. Fry carduni on both sides until browned and coating is crispy. Serve hot.