My Jerusalem artichokes are ready. Apologies in advance to anyone who is near me in the next couple of days!
If you don't have any of these combustible vegetables yourself, you can get some at Abel and Cole. I'm a customer in the winter when my veg patch goes bare.
But what does one do with a bushel of them? I found this Abel and Cole recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke soup, and tried it for Sunday lunch. Two of the three ate it, and I just had a modest amount. That left the majority to hubby, who is clueless about the affects of this vegetable. He ate two bowls full. I'll spare you the details.
Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
25 g (1 oz) butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
500 g (1 lb) Jerusalem artichokes, washed and sliced
400 ml (3/4 pt) milk
1 stock cube
25g (1 oz) cornflour
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons spoons single cream
Melt the butter in a large heavy based saucepan and cook the onion with a pinch of salt until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic and artichokes and fry for a further few minutes. Then add the vegetable stock and milk, cover the saucepan and simmer gently for 25 minutes or until the jerusalem artichoke pieces are tender. Process in a liquidiser or food processor until smooth then return to the rinsed pan. In a small dish, blend the cornflour with 2 x 15ml spoons water and stir in a few spoonfuls of soup, return this mixture to the saucepan and bring to the boil whilst stirring continuously. Remove from the heat, season to taste, stir in the parsley and garnish with cream.
