I love growing cardoons, but always had a hard time telling folks that the only way to eat them was to either bake them in cream, fry them in oil or dip in a mix of butter, olive oil and anchovies.  So it was refreshing when I stumbled upon cooking blog with a post lamenting the exact same thing.  A non-guilt-inducing cardoon recipe that tastes so good you can’t stop eating it?  Yes please!  (Recipe adapted from Hunter Angler Gardener Cook.)

Honeyed Cardoons with Pine Nuts and Thyme

Serves 2-4 as a side dish. Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes

1 medium onion
1 bunch cardoons
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons dry sherry (or dry white wine)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Salt and black pepper

1. Trim the cardoons and boil them for 30-40 minutes in salty water with the juice of a lemon thrown in. (Here is a good overview of cleaning and prepping cardoons) This can be done up to a day ahead.

2. Slice the cardoons into 1/2 inch pieces. Slice the onion into half-moons. Toast the pine nuts — watch them, as pine nuts go from toasted to burnt in a heartbeat.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onions with some salt until just beginning to brown on the edges. Add in the cardoons and stir to combine. Let this cook for a minute or two.

4. Add the dry sherry. Turn the heat up to high and boil it furiously. Add the honey and stir to combine. Add the pine nuts. Let this boil down to a glaze. Turn off the heat and toss in the thyme and add some fresh ground black pepper. Toss well to combine and serve at once.