I invented this stew to highlight one of my favorite winter vegetables in Israel. Cardoon (kharshuf in Hebrew) looks like a prehistoric celery. A relative of the artichoke (which also tastes similar), you must peel the whole thing to remove the thorns and tough exterior. But because of this consistency, it holds its form through long cooking times, making it perfect for a Shabbat stew! Many of my favorite Israeli flavors are featured in here.
Ingredients
1 medium cardoon, or 1¼ lbs. frozen artichoke bottoms (see note) Lemon juice
3 cups wheat berries
15 oz. can of chickpeas
1¼ lbs. lamb or fatty beef, cut into chunks
12 whole cloves of garlic
3 Tbsp. za’atar
1 Tbsp. sumac
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 whole eggs
Directions
- Carefully peel each cardoon stalk, removing the thorns, leaves and tough exterior. This will take a little while, but the effort is worth the result.
- Cut the peeled stalks (or artichoke bottoms) into 3” pieces and put them into a large bowl of lightly acidulated water (water with a bit of lemon juice).
- Put the wheat and chickpeas into slow cooker and mix.
- Place the cardoon pieces (or artichoke bottoms) and chunks of meat around the pot so they are mixed in with the wheat and chickpeas.
- Put the garlic cloves around the pot.
- Sprinkle the za’atar, sumac, salt and pepper over everything.
- Add enough water to cover your ingredients by half an inch.
- Gently insert the eggs around the top of the pot.
- Heat on high for 1-2 hours, then switch to low for the remainder of the night.
- Before serving, carefully remove the eggs from the pot.
- Rinse the eggs under cold water until they are cool enough to handle, then remove the shells. The eggs, which will now have turned a brownish color, can be put back into the pot, served in a separate serving bowl, or placed in individual bowls for each person.
Additional Notes
- If cardoon is not in season (or you have no idea where to find it), frozen artichoke bottoms work as a great substitute. Do not use marinated bottoms in jars, just plain, unflavored, frozen ones.
- I like serving this with some extra virgin olive oil and a bit of lemon juice drizzled on top.
- If you like spicier food, stir some schug or harissa into your portion.
