Cardoni

Last night I made Gobbi tripatti, which literally means "triped hunchbacks" which is what Cardoni in ragu is called in Tuscan dialect. They are called hunchbacks because when cut, the cross section of some parts are little crescents. Triped refers to cooking them in tomatoes and aromatics the way trippa alla fiorentina is done. I parboil the trimmed and de-strung cardoni in acidulated and salted water, then saute them in extra virgin olive oil and add ragu and either chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce and simmer. I then serve them with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and shave reggiano parmeggiana over them. Always a good dish for a cool night.

Last night I did something else. I read recently about using the heart of the cardoni, which I had never realized was edible. Basically, aftere trimming the stalks, I pared what was left of the core to a good-sized plug, cut it in half and threw it in the pot. I can't believe that I ever threw this away, as it is the best part of the plant, sort of like a gigantic artichoke heart. I did not add this heart to the dish, but am saving it for a version of one of the dishes I had at the restaurant I reviewed Tuesday, a seared tuna, topped with bagna cauda and cauliflower.

What I will be doing is searing the tuna, then placing a slice of cardoni heart and a little bit of truffled anchovy, roasted garlic, Spanish extra virgin olive oil, and creme fraiche on each piece. I will give a report on Tuesday.