Eating the Alphabet: J is for Jerusalem Artichokes

I've been enamored with Jerusalem artichokes (aka "sunchokes") since I saw them listed in a seed catalog a few years ago. I thought this sunflower-like plant with its potato-like tubers was quite pretty and the old-fashioned sound of its name, coupled with the fact it's an indigenous vegetable, made it seem like something I might like to grow. But ...

I'm a bit of a coward when it comes to growing tubers -- even potatoes fill me with trepidation. And I didn't know anyone who'd ever grown or eaten Jerusalem artichokes. So they've lurked at the bottom of my list of vegetables to try for some time now, never moving nearer to the top ...

And then I signed on for the Eating the Alphabet Challenge and Jerusalem artichokes seemed like the perfect "J" vegetable! I would finally cook Jerusalem artichokes and know whether they were worth growing or no. But where to buy them? Turned out the local Whole Foods had a whole bin of them and they weren't particularly expensive. What to do with them? Well, that was easy -- I'd had Eat Drink Better's "Jerusalem Artichoke Recipe: Creamy No-Dairy Vegetable Soup" bookmarked since February so I knew exactly how I wanted to prepare these tubers.

My Jerusalem artichokes were, maybe, a little on the small side but I tried to buy similarly-sized tubers. Several recipes I consulted said cleaning these tubers would be time-consuming, but mine looked as if they had been pretty well cleaned before they hit the produce shelf and I didn't have to scrub them long to make sure they were grit-free.

I loved that this recipe didn't need me to peel the tubers as there's nothing more boring than peeling vegetables. No, I just scrubbed them and sliced them thickly. (Don't they look like sliced waxy potatoes?)

Cooked diced onion and garlic in olive oil (I used red onion and doubled the garlic) until the onion was translucent.

Chucked in the Jerusalem artichokes, sliced carrots (I used baby carrots), and 3 cups (vegetable) broth so that the vegetables were just covered and simmered with the lid on for about 35 minutes (until the Jerusalem artichokes were tender when I stuck them with a knife).

Seasoned the soup with salt, pepper, and curry powder (1 tsp Penzeys salt-free Maharajah Style Curry Powder) to taste. Using an immersion blender, I pureed the soup until was reasonably smooth.

This soup kept well in the fridge -- which was good thing, because while I thought this soup was phenomenal, The Husband did not agree and I ended up taking it to work all week. Silly man with his resistance to new vegetables! This soup is nutty and creamy and rich and so very yum.

Will I grow Jerusalem artichokes next year? I think so!