Ramp-Ed Up Cardoons
- 5 pounds cardoons, (2 pounds trimmed)
- 1 pound ramps
- 3 ounces pancetta, thinly sliced and cooked very crispy
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 lemon sliced
- 3 tablespoons finely grated asiago
- 3 tablespoons fine bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 2 cups bechamel but maybe less
- Trim the cardoons, Remove all the leaves. With a peeler, peel the stalk to remove all the strings. They will look like stalks of celery. As you finish trimming each stalk, put it in a bowl of water with lemon juice .
- Cut into 4 inch pieces and put into a large pot of boiling water.
- Lower the heat and cook the cardoons for 15 minutes.
- Grate the asiago.
- Chop the parsley very fine.
- Strain the cardoons. When cool arrange them in an oven proof casserole that has been buttered.
- Sprinkle the parsley on top the the cardoons.
- Arrange the crumbled pancetta on top of the parsley.
- Sprinkle the asiago on top of the pancetta.
- Pour bechamel over the entire surface. You may not need all two cups, just enough to cover but not too much so that the cardoons are swimming in sauce.
- Sprinkle bread crumbs over the entire surface.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.
- In a sautee pan with a little olive oil quickly sautee the ramps for about a minute to wilt.
- With a fork layer the ramps over the cardoons and sprinkle with sea salt.
- BECHAMEL: 4 tbs butter melted, add 4 tbs flour, slowly add 2 1/2 cups hot milk and stir until thickened and smooth. Add grind or two of nutmeg. Add 1 tsp salt.
cardoons, ramps, pancetta, parsley, lemon, bread crumbs, butter, bechamel but maybe
Taken from food52.com/recipes/4259-ramp-ed-up-cardoons (may not work)