Sunchoke Soup Recipes

SUNCHOKE AND SAUSAGE SOUP

Steps:

• Place the turkey bacon, turkey sausage, artichokes, potatoes, celery, onion, leek, spinach, and garlic into a large saucepan. Pour in the chicken stock, and season with parsley, basil, oregano, cayenne pepper, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cover, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Stir the flour into the water until no lumps remain. Stir into the simmering soup, and continue simmering, covered, 30 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.

SUNCHOKE SOUP

Steps:

• Place the sunchokes in a colander and rinse under running water. Using a kitchen brush, lightly brush them to get rid of the soil on them, if there is any. Cut into 1-inch cubes and set aside.
• Heat butter in a large Dutch oven (or any heavy bottom pan) in medium heat. Add in the onion and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 5-7 minutes.
• Add in the salt, pepper, stock, water, and sunchokes. Give it a stir. Bring it to a boil. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for 45-50 minutes or until sunchokes are easily pierced when inserted with a knife.
• In a blender, puree the soup in 2 batches until smooth. Return the soup to the pan and reheat over medium heat.
• Taste for seasoning and add in if necessary.
• Ladle into bowls. If prefered, top each bowl with kale chips and sesame seeds.

SUNCHOKE SOUP WITH GINGER OIL

Steps:

• Soup: Roughly chop dark green leek stalks. In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter; then add leeks. Smash and peel garlic cloves and add them to the pot. (If you're using a Vitamix to pureé the soup later, you can leave garlic skins on.) Continue to cook leeks and garlic until soft, stirring occasionally, 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, warm the water or stock.
• Roughly chop unpeeled sunchokes to a uniform size, about 1-inch pieces. Set aside. Meanwhile, tilt the pot with the leeks to pool the butter. Place bay leaves on top of the butter so they lightly fry for about 5 seconds. Then stir and continue sautéing until there is less popping coming from the pot, 2-3 more minutes.
• Ginger Oil: Slice unpeeled ginger into coins. Place in skillet over medium-high heat along with the oil. Heat until the ginger begins to fry, 2-3 minutes; fry for 1 minute, then turn off heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, store ginger and oil in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. (Ginger Oil can be made in advance; it will keep in jar, refrigerated, for two months.)When leeks are melted, remove from heat and season with a pinch of salt and stir. To the pot, add sunchokes and the warm water or stock. Turn heat to low and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, cook uncovered until the sunchokes are soft, 25-45 minutes. (Cooking time will depend on the freshness and water content of the sunchokes.)
• When the sunchokes are soft and break apart, discard the bay leaves before adding the contents of the pot to a blender. (If you're using a high-speed blender such as Vitamix, you can leave the bay leaves in.) Replace the lid and blend on low speed to combine the ingredients; then slowly increase the blender speed to medium for 30 seconds. Turn speed back to low, remove the cap, and add the butter one piece at a time, so it emulsifies into the soup. When all of the butter has been emulsified, place the cap back on and purée at high speed for 30 seconds. (Optional: Pour soup through a fine-mesh strainer or chinois back into the pot for a more refined texture.)
• Assembly: Taste soup and adjust seasoning. Ladle warm soup into bowls. Drizzle a spoonful of Ginger Oil on top and serve.

ROASTED MUSHROOM AND SUNCHOKE BISQUE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Toss the Jerusalem artichokes, potatoes, and garlic with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl; season with sea salt and black pepper. Spread the mixture into a baking dish. Toss the mushrooms with another tablespoon of olive oil in a separate bowl; spread into a separate baking dish.
• Bake the potato mixture in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Place the mushrooms in the oven and continue baking until the potatoes are soft and slightly browned, about 25 minutes more. Remove both dishes from the oven and set aside.
• Melt the vegan margarine in a large stock pot over medium-low heat; cook the onion in the margarine until completely soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir the roasted potato mixture and the mushrooms into the onions, along with 1 teaspoon sea salt and the water; allow the mixture to come to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir the mushroom broth and sage into the mixture. Place a cover on the stock pot and cook to allow the flavors to blend, about 20 minutes.
• Allow the soup to cool slightly before pouring in batches into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway. Hold the lid firmly with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree; transfer blended batches to a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup in the pot. Stir the soy milk, if using, into the finished bisque to serve.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE SOUP

Steps:

• I brought a handful of Jerusalem Artichokes home from the market, washed and roasted them (skin and all) in the oven with a simple drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. I cooked them all the way through as I would a baked potato. I tried roasting them a second time replacing the olive oil with hazelnut oil for even tastier results. Now, the vegetable risks to take over my produce life as I know it! I cut some into thin rounds, fried them and sprinkled them over an arugula salad. Delicious. I thought I had reached my peak with these preparations until I tasted this soup...The combination of roasting and stewing them yields a complex flavor.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Place 1/2 the Jerusalem artichokes on a baking sheet. Drizzle them with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tray in the center of the oven and cook until they are completely yielding when pierced with the tip of a knife, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice the rest of the Jerusalem artichokes in 1/2-inch thick slices. Heat a medium pot and add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the thyme and the Jerusalem artichokes slices and stir to blend the ingredients. Check the seasoning. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes and add 4 cups water.
• Cook until the Jerusalem artichokes are completely tender, 25 to 30 minutes. If the liquid reduces too much during this cooking time, add the remaining 1 cup water. Remove the roasted ones from the oven, quarter them and add them directly to the soup mixture. Taste for seasoning.
• Remove the thyme from the pot. Add the cream. Puree the soup in small batches in the blender (or a hand blender) until smooth. For a more "rustic" texture, puree only 1/2 and leaving the other 1/2 "chunky." Serve with crusty sourdough or a seeded bread to bring out the naturally nutty flavor of the soup.
• Serving suggestion: Crusty sourdough bread or seeded bread.

SUNCHOKE SOUP WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Mix 8 cups water and vinegar in large bowl. Working with 1 Jerusalem artichoke at a time, peel and place in vinegar water to prevent discoloration. Set aside.
• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and garlic; sprinkle with salt and sauté until soft and translucent, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Drain artichokes; rinse well and drain again. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to onion mixture and sauté 5 minutes. Add 7 cups vegetable broth, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until artichokes are very tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.
• Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth. Return to pot. Rewarm soup, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if needed to thin. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and white pepper. do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm before continuing. Divide soup among bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds; top with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and some sautéed mushrooms, if desired.
• Tubers of a variety of sunflower; available in the produce section of some supermarkets and at farmers' markets.