Preparing Cardoons for Use in Recipes. Let the pieces of cardoon fall into a bowl as you cut, and immediately squeeze fresh lemon juice over the pieces. Toss the pieces in the juice to coat them well. Peeled cardoon turns brown very quickly, and a generous amount of lemon juice will counter the oxidation process so that the stalks remain green until cooking time. You can also use vinegar if you dont have lemon juice. Repeat the entire paring process from removing the leaves and prickles to paring the strings and skin with the. MORE remaining stalks of cardoon. Find essential growing information on cardoon, including flower and foliage colors, height and width, seasonal features and special features. Check out more. The cardoon Cynara cardunculus, also called the artichoke thistle is a thistlelike plant in the sunflower family. It is a naturally occurring species that includes. Photograph Gina DePalma Previously Snowy Day Risotto All Seriously Italian recipes It is always a little weird to talk about cardoons in the context of. Just like celery, this Mediterranean artichoke thistle is grown for its delicious stalks. But what exactly are cardoons and cardones Read on. DimLarge/Cardoon-Rouge-dAlger-LSS-DSC_0571.jpg' alt='Cardoons' title='Cardoons' />The thin, whitish, young stalks covered with soft leaves are good to use as well. Theyre also easier to clean just scrape off the white coating. Taking the Mystery Out of Cardoons. Photo. Credit. Craig Lee for The New York Times Cardoons are clearly related to artichokes, but in no way do they rank as highly, and thats just the way it is. I was strolling in a garden the other day and, seeing what I thought were cardoons because Im only slightly obsessed with them, asked the gardener, Oh, are those cardoons Her reply Oh, God no. Those are artichokes. Id never grow cardoons. Found in farmers markets and grocery stores with a wide array of produce, cardoons may not be anyones favorite vegetable. But when you consider all the effort that goes into cooking ramps which, really, no one would bother with if they did not come so early, I think a minor investment in cardoon cooking is worth the trouble. Because with the right technique, theyre pretty great. Cardoons look like prehistoric celery although the two arent really related, taste like artichoke hearts, and take a bit of work to prep but once you do, you. Cardoons are clearly related to artichokes, but in no way do they rank as highly, and thats just the way it is. I was strolling in a garden the other. Cardoons khorshuf or khorchouf in Arabic need to be pared and cleaned before theyre cooked. Heres how to do it. They dont need much prep Strip the leaves if there are any, trim brown spots and string as you would celery. Cut the whole stalk lengthwise into two or three strips, then make crosswise lengths of a couple of inches. Parboiling until tender 1. Garlic Nots. Drain and rinse, and that bitterness is all but gone. Then cook however you like this recipe will probably spawn many ideas for you. Continue reading the main story. At the Alemany Farmers Market right now were seeing a lot of cardoons in season. My final Globe and Mail article for the 2010 growing season was on growing and eating cardoon. Cardoon is lesserknown relative of the artichoke that is considered a.