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Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

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Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Alexandria » Tue Nov 20, 2018 2:07 pm

Cardoon, a favorite of our´s is in season from November to February from the Navarran Pyrenées .. And a fave dish is to prepare a creamed soup without the use of dairy cream ..
Here is our family recipe ..

Serves 4 to 6 ..

500 grams of wild cardoon
2 teaspoons of bio or eco flour all purpose
The juice of 1 lemon
2 Litres of home made vegetable stock broth
1 onion or 2 shallots and a small leek
2 cloves of garlic
Evoo
1 clove
1 pinch of nutmeg
a sprinkle of salt to taste
Black Pepper freshly ground to taste
Almonds sautéed to garnish
A tablespoon of Alpine or French Butter

1) Remove the threads or outer layer of the cardoon stalks, rinse thorougly, pat dry and chop into small pieces and place in a large glass bowl .. Drizzle the lemon juice on them ..
2) Dilute the flour in a bit of wáter and and place in a casserole with the sliced cardoon and cook for 20 minutes or until the cardoon slices are just tender. Salt to taste.
3) Now peel and slice finely the onion and chop the garlic finely and sauté in a small skillet with Spanish or Navarran Evoo for 2 to 3 minutes until just tender.
4) Drain the Evoo and place the onion and garlic mixture in the casserole ..
5) Add the vegetable broth, the butter, the onion and the garlic and place on a low slow flame for 35 to 40 minutes.
6) Now, incorpórate the cardoon pieces ..
7) If you prefer a thicker soup, add boiled finely sliced potato.
8) In a mortar with a pestle, combine the clove, nutmeg and the sautéed in butter and the Evoo combined, almonds ( one mortar for the soup and the other for the garnish decoration )
9) Now add the cardoon pieces to the broth and one mortar of clove, almonds and nutmeg .. Check season and salt and freshly ground black pepper ..
10) Reserve the 2nd mortar of almonds, cloves and nutmeg for garnish ..
11) Serve with hot oven baked bread and a glass of Navarran Rosé ..

Exemplary ..
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Joanbunting » Tue Nov 20, 2018 3:03 pm

Cardoons are almost onbligatory in Provence over the festive period in Provence.

They are usually served in a gratin and are a complete pain in the you know where to prepare.
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Alexandria » Tue Nov 20, 2018 3:36 pm

Joan,

I adore cardoons and yes, the removal of the outerlayer of threads on the stalks is a pain in the … Agree with you 100% ! :lol:

However, worth the labors !!!

Have a lovely day .. :wave :wave
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:02 pm

I think in London it would be a case of first catch your cardoon - I'm not sure I've ever seen them on sale

I think I had them once, they were fine, but I was not inspired to seek them out and pay a small fortune for them

I think if I had a larger garden I'd be tempted to have a few as edible ornamentals

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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Joanbunting » Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:10 pm

There was one food writer and keen gardener in the UK who was crazy about cardoons. I can't remeber who now.

I take a leaf out of my tame chefs book and buy then ready prepared in jars. If life's too short to stuff a mushroom it is certainlly too short to prepare a cardoon :lol: :lol:
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Alexandria » Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:43 pm

Joan & Sue,

Firstly, yes, you can buy them in jars Joan .. Spain is an exporter of The Cidaco Brand Cardoons ..

Stuffing mushrms is a hell of alot easier than peeling the threads off a cardoon stalk !! However, I am a true fan of cardoons .. :yum :yum


Sue, Not quite sure what you mean by expensive as we all have different salaries or incomes .. However, if you like artichokes and green asparagus, you shall truly enjoy cardoons .. And you could probably find them jarred from Cidaco ..


Have a nice day Ladies .. :wave
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Stokey Sue » Tue Nov 20, 2018 5:49 pm

What I mean by expensive is that anything that is very hard to find and sold only in small amounts is always overpriced by the time it is on sale in London (or Paris or Berlin for that matter)

If it is €5 in Barcelona, I can guarantee you that it will be €15 at least in London's Borough Market, if available at all, because it is a rare thing here

Brindisa or Garcia might have the jars, but again they will be expensive because they will be a special import

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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Joanbunting » Tue Nov 20, 2018 9:55 pm

They do jars in france too sue. We don't import thm from spain - guess they would still be expensive though :lol:
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Alexandria » Tue Nov 20, 2018 11:26 pm

Sue,

I totally understand your point loud and clear.

This Company exports Navarran Cardoon ( Cardo de Navarra ) to The U.K.

YBARRA TIENDA :lol: :lol: :lol:
English & Spanish

12 jars @ 660 grams each = 16.47 Euros :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup

Write their English Customer Service for shipping information:

Consumidor@grupoybarra.es

http://www.ybarra.es/tienda

If the shipping costs are not over the top, this is a fabulous deal .. :clap :clap
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby karadekoolaid » Wed Nov 21, 2018 12:41 am

cardoons - wow, I think I found some over here about 10 years ago.
they´re the sort of thing I´d prepare on a rainy Sunday when the rest of the family is at the beach, and there´s no football on the telly :gonzo
I´m pretty sure your recipe would work with artichoke hearts though, Member 461.

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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Alexandria » Wed Nov 21, 2018 1:17 am

Karakoolaide,

Thank you for your feedback ..

In Northern Navarra and the Sierra de La Demanda de San Lorenzo, La Rioja, wild cardoons are in season from Mid November through February ..

Truly, a fave veggie so if I cannot get them wild, I can get them very easily jarred from El Corte Ingles Barcelona Hyper Market or order them via our distributors
at my parents company ..

Artichokes: We like them Italian style .. roasted or baked in oven with fresh lemon .. My paternal grandmother ´s mother was Italian so she makes them once in awhile ..

I like them with fresh clams too .. There is an Asturian dish I prepare during clam season called Alcachofas con Almejas or Chirlas, small clams .. It is quite a treat ..

Have a nice afternoon .. :wave
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Badger's Mate » Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:57 am

I tried growing them once, without success. I might well have a go next year, raising a few plants from seed. Any spares would go well in charity plant sales I think

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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Alexandria » Wed Nov 21, 2018 4:09 pm

Badger´s Mate,

Good Luck.

In Navarra and The Sierra de La Demanda de San Lorenzo, Mountain Range of northern La Rioja, the harvest is in mid November and lasts until only February.

Hot weather is not a good omen for Cardoon ..

Thank you for your feedback ..
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Pepper Pig » Wed Nov 21, 2018 7:21 pm

Joanbunting wrote:There was one food writer and keen gardener in the UK who was crazy about cardoons. I can't remeber who now.
:


It was Clarissa Dickson Wright of Two Fat Ladies fame Joan.

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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Alexandria » Thu Nov 22, 2018 12:38 am

Pepper Pig,

Thank you for your feedback ..

I am sure Joan shall receive your information ..

Have a lovely evening ..
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Joanbunting » Thu Nov 22, 2018 3:58 pm

PP - of course it was. Thanks for jogging my feeble memory. I hope all is well with you.

In the supermarket this morning there were vac packs of prepared cardoons Lyonnaise. I was tempted but I can;t see me using them in the immediate future. The recipe was allegedly created by Paul Bocuse.
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Alexandria » Fri Nov 23, 2018 10:23 am

Joan,

There is a recipe of the legendary Chef Bocuse´s cardoon ( au gratin ) in one of his books I have .. And also a veal dish with cardoons served on the side ..

Have a lovely weekend .. :yum :wave
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Re: Crema Ligera de Cardos: Cream of Cardoon

Postby Alexandria » Thu Jan 10, 2019 10:56 am

Last call for Cardoon Fans.

The season is almost over ..
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