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Cardoon flan with anchovy sauce


Cardoon flan

Let's find out how to prepare a typical Piedmontese appetizer, ideal for serving at parties: cardoon flan.

Cardoons are a little-used vegetable, similar in appearance to celery but with an artichoke aftertaste : it is no coincidence that they are part of the same family. There are several varieties of this plant including the Gigante di Romagna and the Spadone . From the latter they obtain the so-called hunchbacked thistles , a particular Piedmontese variety obtained by burying the thistle plant to allow it to survive the winter.

In all cases, the cardoons should be blanched so that they remain tender and lose their bitter aftertaste. This operation consists of covering the plant during growth in order to keep it away from light. But let's see in detail how to prepare cardoon flans and a delicious accompanying sauce based on anchovies.

Cardi
Cardi

Ingredients

For the bechamel

  • Flour 00 – 40 g
  • Whole milk – 400 ml
  • Butter – 40 g
  • Nutmeg – to taste
  • Fine salt – to taste

For the flans

  • Cleaned cardoons – 500 g
  • Eggs – 4
  • Grated Parmesan – 50 g
  • Fine salt – to taste
  • Pepper – to taste
  • Butter for the molds – to taste

For the anchovy sauce

  • Anchovies in oil – 8 fillets
  • Extra virgin olive oil – 3 tablespoons
  • Garlic (optional) – 1 clove

Preparation

How to prepare the cardoon flan recipe

1

Clean the cardoons by removing the final part and the filaments then cut the stems into pieces. As they are ready, immerse them in water acidulated with lemon juice to prevent them from blackening.

2

Then boil them in plenty of salted water for 20-30 minutes or until they are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and let cool.

3

In the meantime, prepare the béchamel sauce : melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook over a low heat to obtain a hazelnut-coloured roux. Add the milk slowly and mix to avoid the formation of lumps. Leave to cook for about 8-9 minutes after boiling and season with salt and nutmeg .

4

Blend the cardoons to obtain a smooth cream, then add the béchamel sauce, eggs and grated cheese . Season with salt and pepper then pour the mixture into buttered single-portion baking cups.

5

Place in the oven and cook in a bain-marie at 180°C for 45-50 minutes . To cook in a bain-marie in the oven, simply place the cups in a baking dish and pour as much water into the dish as is needed to reach half of the cups. To ensure even cooking, we recommend placing it already hot or boiling.

6

In the meantime, let's think about the anchovy sauce. Melt the anchovies in the oil and, if desired, add a clove of garlic .

7

Once cooked, remove the flans from the oven and let them cool. Serve each cardoon flan with the sauce and decorate with other fillets as desired.

As an alternative to the anchovy sauce you can prepare another typical recipe of Piedmontese cuisine, bagna cauda .

We also leave you a video with all the steps to make these delicious cardoon flans. Try cooking them in milk if you want: it will help to tone down their strong flavor a little.

Conservation

Having the béchamel in the dough, these flans can also be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Before serving, heat them in the oven for a few minutes.

Read also
Cardoons: how to cook them, clean them and the best recipes

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