Today's ragù recipe. Gobbi trippati.

Today's ragù recipe. Gobbi trippati.

Gobbi is Tuscan dialect for cardoni, which is standard Italian for cardoons, known to scientists as Cynara cardunculus. The cardoon is the ancestor of the artichoke, and has a similar flavor, although the stems are eaten instead of the flower buds. Cardoons are a beautiful plant with pretty flowers and look good in an English style garden, as well as being edible. When cut and trimmed, they look like monster celery heads. As young shoots, they are delicious raw, and as older plants, they need to be trimmed and parboiled in acidulated water. I wash them, trim the leaves completely off, cut the stalks into 2" penne, remove the strings, and throw them in a pot of water with lemon juice. When they are all done, I put the pot on the stove and boil until they are tender. I drain them and put them in the refigerator or use them right away.

For this recipe I sauté them in olive oil and then cover them in ragù with a few ladles of chopped tomatoes (I use Pomi from Italy). I grate reggiano parmeggiana over them and sprinkle with fresh chopped parslry and serve with a simple, light to medium bodied red wine (Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is good). This makes a good hearty meal by itself or can be served in small portions as a good primo piatto.