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Creamy Sunchoke Soup

December 9th, 2008 · 6 Comments

Sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, look very similar to ginger root, but when you begin to peel them they offer an intensely concentrated artichoke aroma. Raw, they have the texture of a water chestnut, but taste sweeter and nuttier. They are a member of the tuber farm and are packed with iron and potassium. They aid in digestion and store carbs as inulin, not starch, making them an ideal substitute for potatoes. The farmer suggested roasting them or serving raw in a salad, but I’ve had sunchoke soup on the mind since Ramona’s post in the spring. This simple soup lets their flavor shine. I added mushrooms which added to the earthy flavor, but you can omit them.

Recipe: Creamy Sunchoke Soup
Adapted from Thomas Keller

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound sunchokes
  • 1 leek, white part and an inch of the green portion, rinsed well
  • 1/2 cup maitake mushroom
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup cream

Instructions: Peel and thinly slice the sunchokes. (They are a little tricky to peel, so go carefully.) Slice the leek cross-wise into thin strips. Coarsely chop the mushrooms. Melt butter in stock pot over medium low heat. Add sunchokes and leeks and cook until they are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes more. Season with white pepper and salt, and stir in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and puree in blender or with stick blender until smooth. (If using hand-held blender, you may wish to strain through a chinois strainer or cheesecloth to remove any extra lumps.) Stir in cream, warm over low heat for two minutes, then remove from heat and serve. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

Farms of Origin: Organic sunchokes and leek, Next Step Produce and maitake from the Mushroom Lady, Dupont Circle Farmers Market. Butter from South Mountain Creamery.

Tags: at market · mushrooms · recipes · soup · vegetables · weeknight meals

6 responses so far ↓

  • 1 FoodieTots.com » Blog Archive » At the Winter Markets, Sunchokes, Brussels & Quince // Dec 9, 2008 at 3:19 pm

    […] Creamy Sunchoke Soup 09 Dec At the Winter Markets, Sunchokes, Brussels & […]

  • 2 Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener // Dec 12, 2008 at 6:59 pm

    any of the well-publicized side effects? I have not dug mine yet…

  • 3 foodietots
    Twitter: foodietots
    // Dec 14, 2008 at 12:43 am

    @ Sylvie – No, I can’t say I noticed any this time, but maybe that was just beginners luck. How much trouble were they to grow?

  • 4 Sylvie // Dec 15, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    No problems at all. Many people consider them weeds, given how easy they spread. They are pretty on a wild way – and big, like Joe-Pye-Weed. They are native to our area, so do well here. They are actually so pretty that I know people who grow them just for the flowers (they look like the miniatures sunflowers that they are) and never bother digging the tubers.

    Sylvie

  • 5 foodietots
    Twitter: foodietots
    // Dec 15, 2008 at 11:52 pm

    @Sylvie I saw them described as weeds when I was looking up the background. Sounds like something I might be able to grow. 🙂

  • 6 Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener » Cream Those Sunchokes // Feb 14, 2009 at 3:36 pm

    […] has eaten it in a gratin (and although she likes it, it does not like her), Colleen turns it into a creamy sunchocke soup, and Hank pickles it to avoid the noisy side effects (See Note) that sunchokes have on some people. […]