Gen made a lovely soup for our birthday lunch. These tubers get a bad wrap, but they taste lovely and can be used as a substitute for spuds (or with spuds) in recipes.
Jerusalem artichokes are not from Jerusalem, nor are they artichokes. They are tubers of a sunflower. Once peeled , place in water with a little lemon juice or vinegar as they tend to discolour quickly.
For the soup:
2 tsp olive oil
1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
750mls (3 cups) water
800g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled & chopped
500g Sebago potatoes, peeled & chopped.
Bacon (to your liking)
4 bay leaves, torn
8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 litre (4 cups) water
750mls (3 cups) water
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy based saucepan over medium heat. Add the artichokes, potatoes, bacon, bay leaves and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 mins.
Add stock and water and increase heat to high. Bring to boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems. Season with salt & pepper.
From: The Good Taste, July 1999
