Cardi Gratinati

Name: Cardi Gratinati (Cardoon Gratin)
Yield: Serves 8
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 2 egg yolks; ½ cup Grated Parmesan cheese, plus 3 to 4 tablespoons (optional); Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Freshly grated nutmeg (optional); ¼ cup toasted bread crumbs; ½ cup olive oil; 2 pounds cardoons; 1 lemon, halved, plus 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 lemon, halved, plus 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; 1 cup heavy cream, heated; 1 cup milk, heated; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Cardoon Gratin

Preparation info

Serves
8

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Italian Slow and Savory

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2004

About

This simple gratin is typical of Tuscany, and is an excellent accompaniment to roasted or grilled meats. In Umbria, cooks make a similar dish gobbi alla parmigiana. They parboil the cardoons, dip them in flour and egg, and then fry them until golden before covering them with the besciamella and baking them.

Ingredients

1 lemon, halved, plus 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 pounds

Europe
Italy
Side dish
Tuscany
Mediterranean
Vegetarian

Method

Squeeze the juice from the lemon halves into a large bowl of cold water. Trim the prickly leaves from the cardoon stalks, then, using a vegetable peeler or knife, peel off the fibrous, stringy outer layer from each stalk. As each stalk is trimmed, cut it into 3-inch pieces and drop them into the lemon