Recipe: Roman-Style Fried Cardoons
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
1 hour, 10 minutes
Servings:
6 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 ½ pounds (1 bunch) cardoons, trimmed and peeled
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 1 ½ cups dry bread crumbs
  • vegetable oil, for frying
  • kosher salt, to taste
Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the cardoons into 3-by-1-inch pieces and add them to the pot, along with the wine, thyme and lemon, and cook until the cardoons are tender, 1 hour. Drain, discarding the lemon and thyme sprigs, and let cool.
  2. Line up three shallow dishes and fill with the flour, eggs and bread crumbs, respectively. One at a time, dredge the cardoons in the flour, egg and bread crumbs, then egg and bread crumbs again. Transfer each to a plate until ready to fry.
  3. Meanwhile, in a 6-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 inches of oil to 350 F. Line a plate with paper towels and set aside. Working in batches, fry the breaded cardoons until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the prepared plate to drain, immediately seasoning with salt. Garnish with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley, then serve with lemon wedges.