Jerusalem artichokes are a perennial vegetable that grow very easily on the allotment. I inherited mine with my plot and every year I look forward to being able to dig them up for this winter soup adapted from Delia Smith’s recipe.
Ingredients
500 g carrots
700 g Jerusalem artichokes (weight before peeling)
75 g butter
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1.5 litres (2½ pints) hot chicken or vegetable stock (I used Marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon powder
salt and black pepper
To garnish:
6level teaspoons crème fraîche
handful of fresh parsley
Method
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Peel the artichokes and slice them (1 cm slices). Place them immediately into a bowl of cold salted water to stop them discolouring.
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Scrape the carrots and cut them into slices the same size as the artichokes..
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Soften the onion and celery in the butter or oil for 5 minutes but don’t let them brown.
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Add the carrots and artichokes to the pan with some salt and, keeping the heat very low, let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes.
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Pour in the hot stock and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft
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Use a hand-held blender to liquidise the soup and check the seasoning.
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Before serving, garnish with chopped parsley and spoonful of crème fraiche.