Cardune its only available around Easter and Christmas time. Our holiday table would not be complete without fried cardune. Grandma Mary’s recipe, these were Mom’s favorite!
1 stalk of cardune
2 fresh lemons
eggs
flour
Claro’s seasoned bread crumbs
salt and pepper
Oil for frying
Select a stalk of cardune. Clean like you would celery, peeling any extra strings, and cut it into about 4″-6″ pieces. While you are cleaning, keep a large bowl of water with a little lemon juice by your side, and put the cleaned cardune pieces in it as you go. If you don’t put them in the water-juice, they will turn dark, like artichokes.
Boil the pieces in large pot of boiling water with a little lemon juice in it until pieces are tender, but not mushy. The oiling time can vary from 30-90 minutes, so keep testing them to make sure they are done. They can be very stringy if not boiled enough. Drain and rinse with cold water.
Prepare your coatings; one bowl with flour, one with beaten egg, and one with seasoned bread crumbs. Begin to coat the cardune, starting with flour, then eggs, then breadcrumbs. Place on paper towels until ready to fry.
Fry over medium high heat in your favorite frying oil, a few at a time, until lightly golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels, salt and pepper while warm. These can be eaten warm or cold, they taste great either way. We hope that your family enjoys them as much as ours does!
