Because my heritage is Sicilian, Cardoon Fritters are practically part of my DNA. This despite the fact that growing up in Illinois, with its cold winters, cardoons or cardoona in Italian were not available. Instead, the local Sicilians turned to burdock, an unrelated plant with similar qualities, cooked it as fritters, and called it cardoona. 

The first time I ate real cardoons was in Courmayeur, Italy, and it was a revelation. It has a much more pronounced flavor than the burdock stalks, with a bit more bitterness. I was unaware until recently that it could be grown in New York. Then, much to my surprise, I began encountering it at a Manhattan farmers’ market. You will probably not find it in a supermarket, but check your local farmers’ markets or Mediterranean food stores.

To Prep the Cardoons

Cardoons requires a bit of prep work, and this preparation is best done with rubber gloves to protect and  prevent staining your hands. Fill a large bowl with cold water and the juice of half a lemon into it. Just as with artichokes, the lemon is necessary to prevent discoloring. Break the stalks from the core. Discard any tough outer stalks. Run a sharp knife along the edges of the remaining stalks to remove leaves, any thorns, and scrape off any strings.

Remove the spines and strings.

Cut the cleaned stalks into 3-inch pieces, and immediately plunge them into the lemon water so they don’t discolor. Place them in the refrigerator for several hours or until ready to cook. Although, as you can see in the photos, I added the lemon rind to the acidulated water, I do not recommend this because it contributed to the bitterness of the vegetable. The ones I’m working with here were quite mature, and therefore quite bitter, though they improved after long boiling.  When buying cardoons, search for the youngest, tenderest inner stalks to avoid the bitterness.

Soak in acidulated water.

Remove the cardoons from the refrigerator, and place the contents (including the lemon water in a large pot).  Add enough extra water to cover, a handful of salt, a bay leaf, and bring to a boil. The cooking time can vary from 20 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the toughness and age of the cardoons. 

Boil until tender.

Taste one from time to time to see if they are tender. When they are cooked drain them.

While they are cooking, prepare a marinade of olive oil, the juice from the other half of lemon, chopped parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt. Submerge the hot cardoons into the marinade for at least 1 hour.

Marinate for 2 hours.

For the Fritter Batter

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Sift in the flour, add the salt and cayenne, and continue beating with a whisk until the batter is smooth. Beat in just enough of the heavy cream to make a thick batter.

Beat the eggs and flour.

Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours. You can do this while the cardoons are soaking in the refrigerator.

Frying and Serving the Cardoon Fritters

Heat the oil in a deep fryer or deep pot to 375°. While it is heating, drain the cardoons from the marinade, and pat them dry with paper towels.

When the oil is hot, dip the cardoons in the fritter batter, letting the excess drip off.

Plunge the cardoons in batter.

Place just a few at a time in the hot oil, and fry them, stirring until they are golden brown on all sides. You may have to separate them while they are frying.

Fry the cardoons.

Drain them on paper towels.

Drain the cardoon fritters.

Continue frying the remaining cardoons.

Heap the Cardoon Fritters on a platter. Sprinkle them liberally with salt, and serve them hot with lemon wedges.

Leftover cardoons can be reheated in a 350° oven for ten minutes, but they will not have the same crispness.

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