Spanish cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Cardoon in Almond Sauce

Tender cardoon stalks in a creamy almond sauce with garlic — Aragón's classic vegetable for Christmas Eve.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 1.2 kg cardoon (or celery as substitute)
• 2 lemons
• 100 g almonds (blanched)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 slice white bread
• 2 tbsp flour
• 800 ml vegetable stock
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Strip the tough strings from the cardoon stalks, cut into 6 cm pieces and place immediately in cold water with the juice of one lemon so they don't discolor.
2. Bring plenty of salted water with the juice of the second lemon to a boil and cook the pieces covered for 40–45 min until tender; reserve 300 ml of the cooking water and drain the cardoon.
3. Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a pan and toast the almonds, garlic cloves and the slice of bread in it for 3–4 min until golden, then remove everything and blend with 100 ml of the cooking water in a mortar or blender into a fine paste.
4. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, stir in the flour and sauté gently for 2 min until it smells like pastry, without taking on color.
5. Pour in the vegetable stock and the rest of the cooking water, stir in the almond paste, and cook down uncovered for 8–10 min until the sauce coats the ladle thickly.
6. Add the cardoon to the sauce, let it steep for 5 min, season with salt and pepper, and serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley.