To Precook Cardoons

Having tried five precooking methods, I vouch for the following, which is simplest and fastest and which produces yielding, juicy, neat non-fibrous pieces, as mild as artichokes. If you have an unusually bitter bunch, you may want to boil it twice, but that is exceptional. I don’t know whether it’s different tastes or different cardoons, but French and Italian cookbooks recommend 2 to 3 hours precooking for this vegetable, while I have found that less than an hour works fine.