Cardoon flans

Name: Cardoon flans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Thistles 1.8 lbs; Prosciutto cotto diced 1.1 oz; Provola cheese 1.1 oz; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese to grate 3.5 oz; White onions 1; Garlic 1 clove; Carrots 1; Eggs 4; Lemons 1; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Vegetable broth to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Butter to taste

it de fr es br

192

Calories per serving

Gluten Free

Energy Kcal 192
Carbohydrates g 3.3
of which sugars g 3.1
Protein g 13.1
Fats g 14.1
of which saturated fat g 5.73
Fiber g 2.3
Cholesterol mg 158
Sodium mg 589

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Makes: 6 pieces
Cost: Very low

PRESENTATION

Sformatini di cardi are these super classy little flans from Lombardy that really, really showcase what Italian cardoon recipes can do when you put some love into the details. Cardoons? They're kinda like artichokes but with more attitude. In this cardoon flan recipe, you'll find their strong, earthy flavor mellowed out with pieces of tender cooked ham and chunks of moist provola cheese. The cool part? Each sformatino is its own perfect single serving, making your table look fancier without any extra fuss. Really good stuff. The whole thing bakes up golden and a bit crispy around the edges, while the inside stays really creamy. And you know, Italians love playing around with seasonal ingredients, so these sformatini pop up a lot when autumn hits and cardoons are all over the place. Plus, you can taste how the flavors balance out, especially if you drizzle them with Parmesan cream sauce for extra richness.

A lot of folks in northern Italy whip up these sformatini as starters for special dinners. Which is great. But they're also a pretty good cardoon side dish if you're cooking up something hearty like braised beef or a slow-cooked stew. The combo of cardoons, ham, and cheese gives you a rich and melty bite that's kinda like a mini cardoon gratin, but with more elegance and less of the heavy stuff. If you're into baked cardoon dishes or just curious about cardoon casserole styles, sformatini di cardi are a fun way to try something new and a bit fancy.

People sometimes throw in their own twists—different cheeses, maybe even a sprinkle of nutmeg—so there's a lot of room to play around. For anyone keen on learning how to cook cardoons, this dish is a pretty simple way to start. And you'll pick up a few cardoon preparation tips just by tasting how silky and mild they get once cooked the Italian way. Once you try these, you might find yourself hunting down more cardoon recipes just to see what else this cool, old-school veggie can do. Seriously good stuff.

INGREDIENTS

192

Calories per serving

Ingredients for 6 molds: Thistles 1.8 lbs (800 g); Prosciutto cotto 1.1 oz (30 g) - diced; Provola cheese 1.1 oz (30 g); Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 3.5 oz (100 g) - to grate; White onions 1; Garlic 1 clove; Carrots 1; Eggs 4; Lemons 1; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Vegetable broth to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste

For greasing the molds: Butter to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Cardoon flans

To prepare the cardoon flans, start by cleaning the cardoon: first, wash the cardoons under running water 1, then cut off the end of the bunch and separate the individual stalks, removing any leaves. Take one stalk, and if it's exceedingly large or wide, cut it in half lengthwise. With a knife, notch one end and pull from the opposite side to remove the filaments 2, repeat the same process on the other end. Then cut the cardoons into small pieces and place them in a bowl full of water 3, where you have squeezed the juice of one lemon (a procedure that will prevent them from browning).

Now focus on the sauté that will serve as the base for cooking: wash, peel, and chop a carrot 4, peel the onion and finely chop it too 5, for further details consult the cooking school guide: How to make the soffritto. Place a large pan on the stove, pour a drizzle of oil 6,

a whole clove of garlic 7, and the chopped onions 8 and carrots 9. Sauté for at least 10 minutes,

then drain the previously soaked cardoons 10 and add them to the pan 11. Stir with a spatula, salt 12, pepper and continue cooking until the cardoons become tender, which will take at least 40 minutes. If necessary, add a ladle of broth if the cardoons seem too dry.

Once cooking is finished 13, turn off the heat, let them cool slightly, and then place the cardoons in a blender 14, add the eggs 15,

the grated Parmesan cheese 16 and start the blender, blending everything until you obtain a creamy mixture 17. Now butter the rectangular molds measuring 6x4 inches 18, or alternatively, you can use muffin molds with a capacity of about ½ cup.

Cut out sheets of parchment paper to line the bottom and sides of the molds 19, make sure the paper adheres well, then pour the cardoon mixture with a ladle until halfway up 20, at this point fill half of the molds with a piece of cheese 21

and the other half with a few cubes of cooked ham 22, pour one last ladle of mixture to cover the molds up to the brim. Proceed with cooking: get a large baking tray that can hold the molds and place them inside, pour water into the tray to immerse the molds by about ¾ inch 23. Bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 35/40 minutes (or in a convection oven at 320°F for about 25/30 minutes). After this time, perform the toothpick test, which should come out dry. Once cooked, remove from the oven 24 and turn them out onto a serving plate to unmold. Your cardoon flans are ready to be enjoyed!

Storage

You can store the cardoon flans in the fridge for up to 2-3 days in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap. It's possible to freeze the cooked flans if fresh ingredients have been used.

Advice

The secret of these flans lies in the gooey and flavorful center made of provolone and cooked ham. As always, feel free to personalize! For example, instead of provolone, you could use Emmental or spicy Gorgonzola (only if you're tough); and instead of ham, what about some diced bacon or salami? As for the cardoons, well, removing them changes the recipe altogether! But that doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do: browse through our flans and vegetable molds for other suggestions!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.