Jerusalem Artichoke & Roast Garlic Soup

I have oftened wondered about this curious vegetable, the jerusalem artichoke.

Today I thought it was time for the two of us to get to know each other, and here's what I learnt! Jerusalem artichokes:

- Are, in fact, not artichokes at all!
- Have nothing to do with Jerusalem
- Are native to the eastern United States
- Contain copious amounts of iron - comparable to the iron content of red meat
- Have a nutty, sweet, root vegetable flavour

Introducing my new friend, the jersualem artichoke...

With the weather being so wet and miserable in Sydney at the moment, I thought this recipe would be perfect. If you have never used jerusalem artichokes before, why not try them in a soup recipe like this one.

Ingredients

1 garlic head

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp oilive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, white part only, washed and chopped

700g Jerusalem artichoked, peeled and chopped

1 small potato, chopped

1.5L vegetable/chicken stock

olive oil, to serve

finely chopped chives, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Slice the base from the head of garlic, spray with a little olive oil, wrap in foil and roast for 30 minutes until soft.

2. In the meantime, prep the vegetables. Once artichokes are peeled and sliced, keep aside in a bowl of water with a little lemon juice to prevent discolouration.

3. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, remove from the foil and squeeze the cloves from the skin.

4. In a heavy based saucepan, heat the butter and oil. Add the onion, celery and leek and a large pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, or until soft.

5. Add the artichokes, potatoes and garlic and cook for another 10 minutes.

6. Pour in the stock, bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

7. Puree until smooth, and season well.

8. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some chives, and enjoy with some toasted crusty bread.

Recipe from Vegie Food (Murdoch Books).

So, dear readers, do you have any wonderful recipes using jerusalem artichokes? I'd love to hear about cooking this little vegetable in other ways :)

Ladybird x