Felice wrote:

>> 4. Made into a savory custard with béchamel, onions, ricotta, parmesan,
>> and eggs
>
> And never having seen, much less eaten, a cardoon, I'd go for No. 4.

As it happens, that's also one of the easiest ones, because rather than
de-stringing the cardoons, I can cook them and put them through a food mill
to remove the strings! (For that matter, a ricer might work too.)

Bob