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

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

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