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Cardoon is one overlooked vegetable that is related to the artichoke family and is a great vegetable when slow cooked with stew meat and potatoes cooked in its own gravy steam cooked to perfection.
Grown infrequently, though available in Florida for at least two weeks in October, it is of Spanish or Italian origin originally harvested in the Mediterranean. Now more commonly eaten as our World becomes more culturally diverse. When cooked cardoon, are slightly crunchy and nutty in flavor, To prepare your cardoon for cooking, clean, and remove excess skin and leaves and chop to stalk slices a lot like celery. Trim the spines, peel the fibers, they look like a giant thistle, for proper cooking, make sure that they have cooked to high heat for at least 30 minutes this can be done in your pressure cooker after the meat has cooked to softened desire.
Upon cleaning add cold water and add the zest of two lemons careful not to add the juice, set aside to keep the cardoon from going too brown before to add to your slow cooked meat.
For cooking your stew meat it is best to cook slowly. To acquire the consistency for a flavorful gravy or sauce, begin by light browning chunks of beef stew meat or any meat that does well when slow cooked. Upon the rendering of a nice brown color, I use a small amount of olive oil, just to attain the browning effect, next I add one large purple onion, often called Spanish onion, chopped cilantro, flowers only, chopped parsley flowers only and pieces of peeled raw ginger, next I add 5 garlic cloves, reaching the garlic oil that is locked inside by using a cheese grader to get to the oil and I add all of the remaining skin into the pan, next I add pieces of celery including the flower, salt, pepper, cumin, be generous with your cumin because it is delicious when added to meats, fish and even chicken. Add sliced raw chili peppers, add more cooking oil as needed to avoid scorching your meat and vegetables saute all of these vegetable. Next add a few cup of vegetable stock to overflow and add a food spice called Sazon, one package if desired. For added color I use saffron, though imitation saffron food products work well too! I cook in a pressure cooker checking the cooker every 20 minutes making sure that the cardoon does not overcook, after 18 minutes I add fresh peeled potatoes around 5 medium-sized and cut in large pieces and I close the pressure cooker careful not to overcook my potatoes. Upon your last check of your pressure cooker, remove your steam attachment and lid when all steam is released and serve with a nice side of sliced and peeled tomatoes mixed with small slices of red onion and olive oil, and vinegar, cilantro flowers chopped and add cured black olives if desired, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sliced warm baguette bread served table side.
Lorie Ann Jermoune
http://twitter.com/lorieannj
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