Fried Cardone, Sicilian Style
Try it, you'll like it! This is a favorite food in our Sicilian family. Cardone is a cousin of the artichoke. We love it! Here is a quick recipe you'll enjoy. It's a great addition to any holiday feast!
Ingredients
- 1 bunch Cardone
- 4-5 medium eggs
- All-purpose flour or Italian breadcrumbs for dredging
- 1 Tbsp salt
- Extra virgin olive oil or your choice of frying oil, for frying (at least 2 1/2 cups), less if baking
Instructions
- Clean cardone stalks as you would celery. Remove the fibrous strings and trim the tops and bottoms.
- Cut cardone in 3" long pieces.
- Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Add cardone and cook until soft and fork gender. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, whisk eggs together in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Sprinkle flour or breadcrumbs on a plate, set aside.
- To fry: In a large skillet, add enough olive oil or frying oil of choice until it is at least an inch or 2 deep. Heat over medium to medium-high heat.
- When cardone are cool, roll the pieces in flour and then dip in the egg batter. Add cardone to the skillet, working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan (it will lower the temperature and make the fried cardone greasy). Fry until golden brown on both sides. Serve warm.
- To bake: Place the breaded cardone on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 10 minutes. Check the bottoms of the cardone at the 5 minute mark to determine if they need to be flipped (most of the time they don't). When ready, breadcrumbs will be golden brown.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!