Australian_Yoga_Journal_October_2017

59

october 2017

yogajournal.com.au

Pan-fried cardoon chips

SERVES 4–6 TIME: 40 MINUTES

8–10 cardoon stalks (about 450 g. in total),

prepared (see field notes) and cut into

10 cm batons

Ghee, for frying

340 g. (2 cups) finely ground white rice flour

Unrefined salt

Ground black pepper

6 eggs

TO SERVE

1⁄3 cup mayonnaise (home-made if possible)*

1 Tbsp. mustard (home-made if possible)

Ketchup (home-made if possible)

Cardoons are a mystery vegetable. Before we grew

them we had no idea what to do with them, nor

had we ever eaten them before. They look like an

artichoke plant, but they don’t have such big

edible heads. Instead you eat their stalks, which

look like giant celery stalks. The bad news is that

you probably won’t be able to find cardoons in

stores. The good news is they are one of the

easiest plants to grow, and you can often find

them growing in the wild. While they taste a little

like an artichoke, they have a unique flavour that

is light and a little bit smoky. This is by far the

greatest thing you can do with a cardoon.

Cook the cardoons in boiling salted water

(salty like the sea!) for 15–20 minutes until soft.

Drain and pat dry with a tea towel.

Combine the mayonnaise and mustard in one

small serving bowl or ramekin, and place the

ketchup in another.

Heat 0.5–1 cm of ghee in a large frying pan

over a medium–high heat.

Meanwhile, divide the rice flour between two small

bowls and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Whisk the eggs in a third bowl. Working in batches,

coat the cardoons in the egg, then the rest of the

bowl of rice flour, then back into the egg and

finally into the second bowl of rice flour.

Fry the cardoons for about 5 minutes on

each side until brown.

Serve immediately with the mustard-mayonnaise

and ketchup on the side.

Note. As this recipe requires frying at a high

heat, we use ghee for its very high smoke

point — plus it’s delicious! See page 61 for

instructions on making your own ghee.

Field notes

On growing cardoons. You can either grow a cardoon from seed, or by
digging up its root system and replanting it. To plant it from rootstock,

cut off the top of the plant, dig a big hole and put it in the ground. Its root
system is one of the hardiest we have ever seen; it can be transported and
even cut up a little and it will still grow. It requires little water and loves
full sun! It will also produce big, beautiful, purple flowers for you, and its

leaves act as great mulch in the garden.

On preparing cardoons. Cut the plant at the base, one section at a time.

You want the big thick stalks that are flatter and paler (often the young
stalks), and discard anything hollow, along with the top leaves and any
debris. Trim the edges of the cardoon with a sharp knife. Using a
vegetable peeler, peel the ridged side of the stalk, removing any stringy

sections. Scrape the smooth inside section with a spoon to remove the
fine skin and place in water with a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent
browning. Your cardoon is now prepared.

*home-made versions are available in the recipe book.