At their best from around November to March, Jerusalem artichokes are a winter vegetable worth celebrating. Not truly an artichoke, the Jerusalem artichoke is actually a variety of sunflower, aesthetically resembling a ginger root. It also has nothing to do with Jerusalem, instead named after the Italian word for sunflower, ‘girasole’. While Jerusalem artichokes are becoming more popular in the UK, they still remain relatively rare in most supermarkets. As such, it’s well worth visiting a specialty green grocers to stock up (they’re inexpensive and will last for around 10 days), or even striving to grow your own.
With nutty flesh that’s crunchy and slightly sweet, Jerusalem artichokes are delicious, provide a great source of iron, and are versatile in a wide range of dishes. An ideal potato or parsnip substitute, they’re well suited to being cooked in creamy risottos and gratin, or to being roasted, shallow fried, battered, or cooked and pureed to make Jerusalem artichoke soup.
Whether you’re new to Jerusalem artichokes, or already fond, Jerusalem artichoke soup is a perfect introduction to the vegetable, as well as being one of the easiest dishes to prepare.
For this Jerusalem artichoke recipe, the Jerusalem artichokes are thinly sliced and sweated in a pan alongside a large onion and a generous knob of butter. Once soft and golden, chicken stock is added to the pan (or use vegetable stock to make the dish vegetarian) alongside a large pinch of white pepper, salt, and a teaspoon or two of sugar. Once simmer for around 25-30 minutes, until the Jerusalem artichokes are completely soft, the soup is then cooled slightly, blended, and mixed with double cream. It’s also optionally garnished with a spoonful of mushrooms simply fried until quite crispy and dressed with a scattering of finely chopped parsley.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 kg Jerusalem artichokes
- 1 large onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 50 g butter
- 1 litre chicken stock or vegetable stock to make it vegetarian
- 150 ml double cream
- Sea salt
- White pepper
- 2 tsp sugar
- Olive oil approx. 1 tbsp
To garnish (optional)
- A large handful mushrooms of choice
- 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Roughly chop the onion and add to a large, heavy-based saucepan with the butter. Set over a low heat and cover the pan. Slowly cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
- While the onions are sweating, peel and finely slice the Jerusalem artichokes and garlic clove. Add to the pan with the onions when they’re soft and colourless.
- Continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes over low-medium heat until the onions begin to turn golden but not brown, and until everything is soft.
- Season with salt then gradually pour the stock into the pan.
- Bring to the boil, season with white pepper and add the sugar, then turn the heat down and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- Cool slightly then blend the soup. Strain the blended soup through a fine mesh sieve, into a clean saucepan, then bring back to a gentle simmer. Pour in the cream and taste for seasoning. Add more salt, pepper or sugar if need be. Continue to cook for a few minutes over low heat while you prepare the mushrooms.
- To prepare the mushroom garnish, roughly chop the mushrooms and finely chop the parsley. Add the mushrooms to a small frying pan with a splash of olive oil. Generously season with salt and fry over medium-high heat until lightly crispy, for around 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat, sprinkle over the chopped parsley and stir.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, then top with a spoonful of the fried mushrooms.
Related: How To Make: Caesar Salad
