By: Angelo Biondo
One of my all time favorite Springtime recipes is “Breaded or battered fried Cardune”. Most people I know who are not Italian look upon the Burdock as a pesky garden weed with aggravating spiny burr like flower that sticks to your clothing as you walk through a patch in late fall.
In the Spring of the year mid to late May and early June when the plant is young (1 or 2 weeks old), the stalks are tender and the root or heart reminds me of Chinese water chestnuts. Italians, however do not have the market cornered on burdock since it is held in high esteem by many cultures.
The root is used in alternate cancer treatments, to promote healing of ailing livers as well as promoting health in other bodily organs. Its use is known to improve the immune system and the list goes on and on. A number of Cultures harvest the root (The Japanese call it Gobo) in the fall of the year for use in cooking for healthy recipes and medicinal purposes. Its beneficial effects are nothing short of astonishing – but is that any wonder when you take the fact that it belongs to the Sun flower family into consideration. The Herbal Qualities are explained in the two ‘YouTube’ video’s listed below.
My father and Grand-father used to take us out in the spring of the year to harvest bushels of burdock. We would drive out to the country and search for them along hedge rows dividing the farmer’s fields. We found a large patch along a stream one time only to find that water bugs liked to make their homes in the hollow stalks, so if you are going out for the first time, I would suggest you stick to the fields and hedge rows.
It is best to use a pointed shovel or pick to harvest them. I like to use a long handled pointed shovel. I place the tip of the shovel at the base of the plant and step down sharply on the shovel cutting the plant just below the ground taking part of the root.
Once you have collected a sufficient amount (in our case, several bushel) we head for home for the cleaning process. This entails cutting off the large broad leafs and trimming away the root with a sharp knife then setting them to the side for the next step.
Once the burdock has been defrocked of its leaves and the roots have been trimmed down, it should resemble a head of celery that you would purchase from your local supermarket. At this point you might want to line them up and wash them down with a garden hose. (This is a good out-door project).
Depending on the number of plants you harvest, you might want to spread the tedious task of cleaning over a period of time or even a few days. If you have harvested a large supply, it is usually a family project. The plants you have left aside for another time will become soft and must be soaked in water to freshen up before the string stripping process. Also if you plan on leaving some for cleaning one or two days later, leave the leafs on until you are ready since the stalks are hollow and the usual garden variety bugs find them a welcome place to crawl into. Store them in a cool place like a basement.
Once washed the tough job of stripping the strings from the stalks begins. This is the same as stripping celery stalks of its strings. These strings are tough and when you cook the burdock they get tougher.
Some people think the heart is bitter, but this is especially true of the older plants. This makes harvesting them at the right time critical. If this is your first time harvesting burdock, be sure to pick a selection of sizes. This will give you a selection of young and older plants, of which you can then judge for yourself why it is better to pick the younger more tender plants for Spring harvest.
Fall harvest is an entirely different experience. In the fall of the year you are looking for the tender root of the first year plant. The second year plants nutrients go into seed production leaving the root shriveled and woody, unsuitable for human consumption.
I have only touched on the nutritional benefits of the plant. You can find additional facts, nutritional benefits, herbal qualities, and recipes on the WEB.
Pre-Preparation:
Since the Spring window for harvest is so short, for this particular recipe, it is customary to harvest a an abundant amount of burdock to support your needs throughout the year. So depending on if you are looking for a spring treat or an annual supply will determine the amount you harvest.
We usually cook the equivalent of 10 to 12 plants to compliment a meal with the leftovers (if any) for snacks. Ten to twelve burdock or cardoni paddy’s are what one might call a goodly amount, but they are so good there is seldom leftovers. Depending on the size of the plant, one plant will yield one to several patties. Also because some people find the hearts bitter (especially old plants) and prefer the stalks only, you may want to separate the outer stalks from the plant leaving only 2 or 3 stalks attached to the heart of the plant before you peel the strings from the stalks,. It is not necessary to peel the smaller new stalks at the center of the plant of their strings, but you do need to remove the leafs.
After cleaning and stripping the strings from the stalks;
- It’s time to boil them in water until they are tender, (usually about 30 minutes)
- Next drain them and let them cool
- Separate them into six to eight per bunch holding out what you plan to cook and freezing the rest.
A friend of ours used to batter and bread all of them at the same time since eggs are cheapest in the spring and summer and since the summer sun makes it conducive for chickens to lay eggs. She would prepare them to the point of frying, but instead package them six to a package and freeze them. When she felt like cooking them, she would simply remove them from the freezer and put them in the frying pan. They would taste as fresh as they did in the spring of the year.
Fried Cardoon Recipe - Cardoni Fritto
6 to 8 Burdock (Cardoni - cooked)
- 1½ C All purpose flour
- 2 - 4 cloves fresh garlic (chopped)
- 2 eggs (slightly beaten)
- ¼+ C milk (approximate – see preparation)
- ½ tsp salt (to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (fresh ground – to taste)
- Grated Romano, or Parmesan cheese
- ¼ C olive oil (for frying)
Pre-Preparation:
- Cleaned Cardoni are defined as having been washed, the leafs removed, the roots trimmed, and the strings peeled from the stalks. It is important to peel as many strings from the stalks as possible, since they are tough and become tougher in the cooking process.
- Boil the stalks until tender – about 30 to 45 minutes.
Preparation
- In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients.
- Then in a separate bowl mix the beaten eggs and milk together
- Mix the milk and egg mixture into the flour with an electric beater until a smooth batter is formed.
- If the batter is too thin add a little flour at a time until proper consistency (not too thick but not too thin either.) You want the batter to stick to the stalks and not run.
- Form into patties and fry in olive oil until golden brown.
Remove from frying pan and place on paper towels, sprinkle with grated Romano, or Parmesan cheese and serve.
Breaded Cardoni Fritto
This is the same as above except that you might want to make the batter a little thicker, then dip in seasoned bread crumbs before frying.
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