Neither from Jerusalem, nor artichokes…In fact, ’Jerusalem’ is thought to be a corruption of the Italian girasole or ‘sunflower’; these artichokes are actually tubers from a type of sunflower native to North America, where they were first noticed by Samuel de Champlain. They were cultivated extensively by native Americans long before the arrival of the Europeans. Their mild, nutty flavour has been likened to that of artichoke hearts – hence the ‘artichoke’. In the 1920s, Jerusalem artichokes were a commercial source of fructose and were expected to replace beet and cane as a source of sugar. While they never really did, the sugar they contain, inulin, is difficult to digest, making these tubers a low-cal option suitable for diabetics – but also causing flatulence in people with a sensitivity to it…
New York Times food critic Mark Bittman writes in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (Double B Publishing, 2007) that while Jerusalem artichokes (‘sunchokes’ or ‘sunroots,’ as he prefers to call them) can be peeled, “not only is it a total hassle, but you lose about half the flesh in the process.” Just scrub them well before cooking. He suggests sautéing, braising or glazing them. We think another great way to eat them is in a soup. We propose two recipes to start: pan-cooked artichokes à la Bittman and an easy cream soup.
Pan-Cooked Jerusalem Artichokes – 26/10/2011
4 Servings
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Jerusalem Artichoke Soup – 26/10/2011
Serves 4
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