If you love artichokes, you can't do without thistles. They are presented with green leaves with silver reflections and require special treatment. And this not for thorns who stung us when we rolled in the meadows: those we are proposing to you, they don't have any. Rather it is their hard consistency that makes them difficult to treat.

But since that after the first frost they are softer, the time has come to try them. You can choose them among the varieties of the humpback thistle of Monferrato, of the thistle Mariano, of the cardo of Bologna and of the cardo of Chieri and in any case you will have to eliminate the outer leaves and get to the heart for better results.

To achieve a pleasant softness, it is advisable to boil them for at least a couple of hours in acidulated water (with lemon or apple vinegar) and then proceed with the preparation according to the recipe.
Potassium, iron, copper, sodium, magnesium, zinc and calcium are just some of the minerals contained in the thistles and will reward you with patience during cooking. To complete the importance of this food, the presence of vitamins B and C which is important to assume especially during the winter. But the real resource of the thistle are its protective properties for the liver. Silymarin, naturally contained in the thistle, is in fact used to purify the body from food poisoning by toxic and poisonous substances.

And now that we know them a little better, you just have to taste them in the recipes: tortelloni stuffed with thistles, thistles au gratin with zabaglione with honey, fried thistles and marinated mackerel, thistle tartare with creamy egg, gratin of cardoon olives and pine nuts, potato flan sweets, artichokes and thistles, thistles parmigiana, thistles with bechamel sauce, risotto with thistles and sausage is stew of chicken with milk thistles.

Our 10 card-based recipes

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