Name: Silky Cardoon Soup
Yield: Makes about 8 cups, to serve 6 as a first course
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 3 tablespoons rolled oats; ¼ teaspoon fine-ground white pepper; About 4 cups mushroom and/or vegetable broth; About 3 cups water; 3 pounds cardoons; About ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; Lemon juice; 3 tablespoons white rice (preferably short- or medium-grain); 3 sturdy rosemary sprigs (each about 4 inches long); 2 or 3 large garlic cloves, sliced; 4 medium shallots, sliced (about ¾ cup); 1 tablespoon ground coriander; 2 tablespoons walnut oil (or hazelnut and olive oil combined); ½ cup dry vermouth

Preparation info

Makes about 8 cups , to serve
6
as a first course

Appears in

Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini

By Elizabeth Schneider

Published 2001

About

Cardoons blenderize to an elegant, creamy puree—even if the stalks are rather large and scruffy. The soup looks and tastes as if it were made with artichoke hearts—at a fraction of the labor and expense. Like all cardoon dishes, it is low-key and low-color—a greenish greige that benefits from contrast with deep-toned serving bowls. For a bright garnish, scatter snips of chervil over each serving.