Knobbly needn’t always signify knees. Just look at these! Jerusalem artichokes are the most extraordinary shape with a serious resemblance to ginger. Nothing to do with globe artichokes and definitely not with Jerusalem either.
But I seem to spend my life peeling odd vegetables. Invariably it’s worth it and these aren’t as awkward as they look. They are actually edible tubers which originated in North America where they are also known as sunchokes or earth apples. Interestingly enough, this last is the exact translation of the Turkish name for them: yer elması. Despite their appearance, their taste is quite unique and made into a soup, will have your guests wondering what they’re eating.
peeled and naked |
Here in Turkey they are at the height of their season right now as it runs from November to March.You will probably find them in up-market restaurants rather than in the home and probably as a meze in olive oil/zeytinyağlı. Always choose firm fresh-looking ones; they will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks unpeeled. If you peel them ahead of time, make sure you put them in cold water with a little lemon juice otherwise they will discolour.
Here is my recipe for Creamy Jerusalem Artichoke Soup which I discovered last year thanks to Gary Rhodes. He is one of my real hero British chefs. This soup is a real winner for a dinner party as it looks and tastes sophisticated.
Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer, covered, for about 20-30 mins or until the artichokes and potatoes have become very tender. Liquidise the soup in batches until completely smooth. If you want to thin it, add more stock.
To serve:
Pour the cream into a small pan and simmer to reduce by a third. Stir in the parmesan and let it melt. (For a little extra body, add a tbsp or two of soup.) Stir in 1-2 tbsp milk to cool it down, then blitz with a stick blender, if you like, for a frothy finish. (To avoid any splashes, transfer the cream to a larger pan or deep bowl to do this.) Ladle the soup between soup bowls, topping each with the warmed cream and a sprinkling of chives if using.
- This is a remarkably clear recipe, I think. I sieved the finished soup before adding the garnish just to ensure that velvety consistency.
- Since we don’t get chives here, I used spring onions. Definitely a good idea to have that green contrast with the velvety creamy colour.
- I did use my stick blender at the last minute but it didn’t get particularly frothy. Was it the cream, I wonder? The parmesan is a wonderful touch as it just adds to the depth of taste.
Gary recommends Parmesan sticks to serve. You can buy them here so I got some of those. I also served some wonderful brown bread full of seeds. As a starter, it was a big success!
Looks so good and simple sounding too!
I'm going to make this for sure!!
Hi Claudia, I love your blog! I live in Istanbul (Baltalimai), I love to cook, I love markets and using locally grown produce, so your blog has been very helpful and inspiring. I see parmesan in a bunch of your recipes – parmesan is the one thing I indulge in and and stock up everytime I am out of Turkey. Where do you buy your parmesan? And have you ever found a Turkish cheese that you can sometimes substitute for parmasan?
Hi Meeling! I'm pleased you like the sound of this soup! Happy cooking! and eating!
Welcome Spicer Family! I live in Fenerbahçe and buy special ingredients like parmesan or mascarpone from the supermarkets around me eg Carrefour or Migros. I used to use eski kaşar for everything but of course the taste of parmesan is nothing like that! I'm just so happy that more and more ingredients are becoming available here!
Thanks for your comments!
Claudia
selam claudia,blogun HARİKA….renkli ,keyifli ve inanıyorum ki senin elinden yediğim tüm yemekler gibi çok lezetlidir.İlk fırsatta deneyeceğim….
ellerine sağlık,heycanla yeni tarifler bekliyorum
Neycim!! Sen geldin blogum'a! Çoook memnunum! Çoook teşekkurediyorum. Bu çorba çok lezzetli, dene istersen.
Claudia
Fantastic! Never had them before, but shall look for them in our supermarkets.
And here I was wondering what to do with a pound of Jerusalem artichokes sitting in the fridge. I always get talked into more produce than I need. I made a Jerusalem artichoke soup last year that left a lot to be desired, but this recipe sounds nice!
Good morning! did I see that you live in Istanbul? whereabouts? you could come round for a coffee!
Just wondering what you were going to do with all those J artichokes…..
Claudia
I'm in Sarıyer. Just a hop across the water!
I'm still leaning towards making the soup, as I don't think the poor artichokes have much time left in the fridge. I do like them thin-sliced and sauteed with garlic and whatever else I've got lying around. I just can't convince my boy to eat them, even if I tell him Bruce Lee ate them all the time because they make you smart and strong.
Sounds wonderful,Iam gonna try it for sure….
I love soups made from sunchokes and we make it at home and serve it frequently at our Bistro Des Copains. You don't have to peel them for soups. We just scrub them and cook them with other ingredients and liquids and then put them through a food mill. Believe it or not, the mill gets all the skins. Makes it much faster.
I'm just not sure that I could leave them unpeeled. But what you say is persuasive ie the mill somehow gets rid of all thos skins. they are such a pain to peel so I will try!! Thanks for the tip!
Claudia