What looks like celery but tastes like the soft interior of asparagus leaves? Cardoons.

Ever heard of them? Me neither until Sunday.

Widely used in ancient European and North African cooking, the cardoon is related to the thistle and the stalks are easy to prepare in a braise, so the folks at Next Step Produce at the Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market said last Sunday. At $4 a bunch, they are only available for a few weeks in early spring, so I figured it was worth a try.

Armed with a rather involved recipe they gave me for Lamb Tagine with Cardoons, Preserved Lemons & Olives from Paula Wolfert’s Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, I thought about ways to make the process simpler.

I substituted chicken for the lamb, because I think it absorbs the preserved lemon flavors more intensely, plus that’s what I had in the fridge, and I paired down the directions to make it in my slow cooker. Despite the fact that it’s May, it’s been a cold and rainy week, so a hot casserole was a welcome dinner.

I didn’t have any couscous in the house, so I used a box of Israeli couscous I found shoved in the back of the pantry. It’s actually a pasta, but soaked up the chicken juices just as well.

I also substituted fresh cilantro for the parsley, and found that its more piquant flavor paired well with the lemon.

Here’s my version of the recipe:

Chicken and Cardoon Tagine

1 bunch cardoons, cleaned (see below)

2 lbs. dark meat chicken parts, bone and skin on

pinch of saffron (optional)

1/2 t. tumeric

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 c. cilantro, minced

2 T. canola oil

1 t. salt

1 bunch fresh spring onions, chopped finely

1/2 t. ground black pepper

1/2 c. pitted Kalamata olives

1 preserved lemon, cut into eighths (available jarred at Middle Eastern grocery stores)

1.2 c. lemon juice

To clean cardoons:

Fill a large bowl with water, add 2 T. lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Wash and trim cardoon stalks, take off the big strings with a paring knife, and chop into 2 “ pieces. Put them in bowl and set aside while you prepare the rest.

Prepare chicken:

In the base of a slow cooker, toss chicken parts with garlic, cilantro, onions, spices and oil. Add drained cardoons and water almost to cover.

Turn pot on high and cook 4 hours (or low for 8 hours) or until chicken is starting to fall away from the bone. Take chicken pieces out, discard skin and bones. Shred the chicken and put it back in the pot.  Add olives and preserved lemon, cook on low an additional hour. Sprinkle with additional fresh lemon juice and serve over couscous or Israeli couscous or rice.

Serves 6.

Here’s what it looked like going into the pot. Coming out, the color was significantly muted, but the flavor was fresh and exotic. The leftovers were even better!