Tag: thistles

Cocottine with artichokes, thistles and meatballs – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients for 4 people

Preparation of artichoke, cardoon and meatball cocottine

1) Mix the meat mince with 1 clove of garlic, the parsley and the tarragon chopped, the breadcrumbs wet with 0.5 dl of broth and squeezed, 50 g of grated Parmesan and 1 egg. Salt, peppery and stir to mix. With greasy hands of oil prepare some meatballs the size of one wot. Arrange them in a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for 10 minutes at 180 °.

2) Clean the thistle removing the filaments, cut it into squares and pass them gradually water acidulated with the juice of 1 lemon. Cook them 15 minutes in water boiling salted, drain and let them dry on a cloth. Check i artichokes, cut them into large wedges and soak them in water acidulated with the juice of lemon remained.

3) Grease 4 single-portion cocottine with oil and spread a layer of artichokes, 1 clove ofgarlic peeled into slices, a layer of thistles and end with meatballs. Wet with the broth left and cook for about 20 minutes, reducing the cooking juices. Beat the eggs remained with the grain leftover, spread some of the mixture in the casseroles and pass under the grill for 5 minutes.

10 recipes (which do not sting) with thistles – Italian Cuisine

They give the best gratin, but they are also excellent in risotto and in other recipes to be discovered. Here are the thistles in tasty variations to try

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

How to cook thistles – Italian Cuisine

Typical winter vegetables, the thistles have a taste similar to that of the artichoke, a little sweeter. They are excellent stewed or roasted in the oven. And au gratin is even better!

The thistles they are close relatives of the artichokes, they both come from wild thistle and also look alike: a head of large, long leaves, with a silvery green color. They are vegetables that ripen in winter and the best known varieties are Giant of Romagna, the Riccio d’Asti, the Bolognese and the Hunchback of Monferrato. The latter is so named because it is grown by bending the tip and burying it in lateral holes. This procedure causes the thistle to grow hunchback and white, due to the absence of light.

A full of fiber and minerals

Thistles are a very poor vegetable of calories and therefore suitable for anyone who has problems with the balance. They are then rich in fiber and mineral salts, especially potassium and calcium. But their most important virtue is that purifying, especially with regard to the liver. This vegetable in fact contains a substance called silibina, which helps the body dispose of toxins.

How to choose them

The thistles should be taken with the leaves tight, compact and intact. Choose as many as possible whites, with little green, they will be sweeter. To clean them, remove the outer leaves, and then remove with the potato peeler the hardest coasts, until you reach the tender heart. For cooking cut the stems to a length of 15-20 cm, remove all the external strands of the ribs well and throw them in abundant acidulated water. Let them cook for 2 to 3 hours to make the stems soften. Then you can cook them in the oven or sauté in a pan with oil and garlic.

The recipe: au gratin thistles

Clean as suggested 1 kg of thistles, cut them into small pieces and make them boil in plenty of salted water for 2 hours. When they are tender, drain them and let them cool. Meanwhile anoint a baking dish with butter, place a first layer of thistles, sprinkle with plenty of it parmesan and with butter flakes. Cover with the bechamel. Add a new layer of cardoons and cover them again with Parmesan, butter and béchamel. Bake the pan at 180 ° for 30-40 minutes, until you see a golden crust forming on the surface. At this point, take out and serve immediately.

Gordon Ramsay Recipes