Jerusalem artichoke soup

When the Jerusalem Artichokes arrived in this week’s harvest, I had no idea what they even were, and even less of an idea of what to do with them! Big thanks to http://www.shanticoibiza.com/ for the hints and tips.

This recipe was adapted from Delia’s Vegetarian Collection, BBC 2002

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Delia’s recipe calls for a 50/50 split of carrots and artichokes, but I agreed with Sid that the artichokes should be the main event. I had 425g of artichokes, so I used 350g carrots to take the lesser flavour.

50g butter or tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions

1 pint stock

Maldon sea salt

Directions

  1. Peel the artichokes, chop roughly, and submerge in a bowl of salted water to stop them discolouring.
  2. Scrub and chop the carrots. (I don’t peel the CHW ones)
  3. Chop the onions
  4. In a large saucepan, heat the oil/butter and fry the onions on a low heat for about 5 mins
  5. Drain the artichokes and add them and the carrots to the pan. Stir, turn the heat down low, cover, and let them sweat for 15mins.
  6. Add the stock, stir, bring to simmering point and simmer for 20mins
  7. Blend until smooth and adjust seasoning to taste
  8. Enjoy! Delia recommends a dollop of creme fraiche in each bowl. (Also, you might want to avoid polite company after having eaten this....)

This recipe tastes even better made with vegetables from Community Harvest Whetstone :)

Jerusalem artichoke soup in bowl