Thistle with ham from Teruel

Ingredients for 4 people:

- 2 ½ - 3 kilos of thistle.

- 150 g. diced ham, without fat.

- 8 cloves of garlic.

- Water.

- 2 lemons.

- Flour.

- Extra virgin olive oil from Lower Aragón. 

- Salt.

- Pepper.

Delicioso cardo con jamón de Teruel, 

Preparation:

Wash the thistles thoroughly in cold water and cut them into pieces of approximately 2cm.

While we're washing and cutting the thistles, put the already cut pieces in a bowl with water, flour, a few drops of olive oil and lemon to prevent the thistle from browning.

When all the thistles are cut, put them in a saucepan with boiling water to cook.

Cook well on a low heat.

When they're cooked drain them but keep the water used to cook them in to one side.

Put 4 or 5 spoonfuls of extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan and fry the finely chopped garlic, the diced ham. Then add a little flour and a cup of the water that we kept after cooking the thistles to make a light sauce.

Put the sauce over the pieces of thistle and leave everything to cook together for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Serve hot.