Serves: ~4
Approx cost: โฌ1.40
Approx calories (per portion, if divided by 4): ~290
Approx preparation and cooking time: ~60 minutes total cooking time, ~10 minutes preparation
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #0B0B61;”]Greetings everyone, and how are you all on this fine January day? I come with exciting news, for today is the day when I announce the winner of the first giveaway for the cute little hand-painted horse, all the way from Sweden. I hope the new owner will take good care of it – it needs to be fed and watered every day, so it can grow to be big and strong :). Anyway, I know that you’re all here right now to find out who the winner is so let’s get right down to business, shall we?
My wife was standing by as independant adjudicator to ensure that I didn’t accidentally win the item myself. Check out the winner in the drop-down box below!
[learn_more caption=”Dalahรคst Giveaway Winner”]
First of all, we have to randomly pull a number from random.org:
92!
Scanning through the numbers chosen in the comments, I see that no-one chose 92 exactly, but the closest number chosen was 89, by none other than…
Fati, from Fati’s Recipes
Congratulations Fati – I’ll be in touch with you soon about delivery options and then this little guy will be winging its way to you! Thanks to everyone for taking part, and enjoy the rest of today’s post. Remember to check back on Saturday for my next giveaway! ๐
Whew, what fun. Now I’m going to talk a little about today’s recipe if you’ll indulge me for a little longer. Jerusalem Artichokes are a relatively new discovery in my life. I vaguely remember having them once when I was much younger, but haven’t tried them since then – at least 15 years I’d guess. I started seeing these things in stores here, labelled as “topinambour” and I didn’t know what on earth they might be (apparently they’re sometimes called this in English too… who’d have thought?). Anyway – we bought some and I’ve gotta say – they’re awesome. Cooked or boiled they remind me of potatoes. Stir-fried, they’re crispy and fresh like water chestnuts. Talk about the little root of many uses.
Watching a Swedish cooking show with my wife, I’ve seen quite a few people making Jerusalem Artichoke soup, but all they do is boil them up in the stock and then blend it. Nobody seems to do anything fun with them, like roasting, so I just thought “why not?”. Adding a bit of spice really lifts up the soup too, and aside from the roasting part itself the soup doesn’t require that much attention to make. Best of all, these things grow like weeds so they’re incredibly cheap. Hope you can give it a try, and have a nice day everyone! ๐
Ingredients
- ~10 medium-sized Jerusalem Artichokes (~1 kg)
- ~1 litre of home-made vegetable stock (or 1 Vegetable stock cube + 1 litre of water)
- 4 tbsps Olive Oil
- 1 Onion
- 2 tsps Garam Masala
- 2 tsps Curry Powder
- 50ml Cream (Optional – skip to keep recipe Vegan)
- Salt
- Pepper
You’ll also need
- Stick / Immersion Blender
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Peel the jerusalem artichokes and cut each one up into about 3 pieces. Rinse the pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Pour in 3 tbsps of the Olive Oil, the Garam Masala and the Curry Powder and mix well using your hands until each piece is well coated with oil and spices. Transfer to a roomy roasting dish and place in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
- When the jerusalem artichokes are almost finished roasting, peel and chop the onion finely. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of Olive Oil in a large pan with a lid and lightly sautรฉ the onion until it’s starting to become translucent. Pour in the stock (or crumble in the stock cube and pour in the water) and start heating through. Add in the roasted jerusalem artichokes and bring the liquid to simmering point. Cover the pot and lower the temperature slightly and allow the soup to just barely simmer for about 20 minutes. Blend thoroughly using the Hand Blender until smooth and then stir in the cream (if using). Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with some good bread. I cut up some bread into small sticks and wiped them around the roasting pan to use up the rest of the curry powder and oil and then baked them until crispy while the soup was simmering. Enjoy ๐
Another topi-something-or-other person. I had a guest post recently and Veronika is a little crazy about these things. She uses them in different ways. You might want to check her out.
Curried vege soups are always a great favorite here. I doubt I can find these here easily but I do believe I’ve seen them around before and didn’t give two hoots about them then. Now that I want them, I can’t find them. Funny how that always happens.
Thanks Ping – I’ll check out Veronika’s post because there’s loads of these things in the stores at the moment. They’re cheap and healthy and it’s fun to find new ways of using them ๐
I saw the new post email and frowned…. giveaway? Then I instantly remembered and was overjoyed that the time has come… ๐ Well… Hoorraaayyy!! ๐ That horsey is SO cute! I solemnly promise to take care of him! ๐
Thank you for such great fun! And amazing recipes, too ๐
Grats to the winner! )
Thanks Fati! Don’t forget that I’ll have another giveaway on Saturday, and more photos too, yay ๐
Charles, thank you for posting this recipe and talking about Jerusalem artichoke (why is it called artichoke??? I have heard about this vegetable, but was sure it had at least a tiny thing in common with artichokes…). Anyway, I see them all the time here and in France and have always thought they were a part of what the French call “forgotten vegetables”: most of the time very healthy and not very palatable, and as the famous chef Thierry Marx said “they would better remain forgotten” ๐ . Your description of the taste and of the versatility sounds very encouraging. The soup looks definitely delicious and reminds me that a big amount of curry makes even pumpkin soup delightful (I don’t like pumpkins & co). Thanks for this excellent idea. I will no longer be afraid of Jerusalem artichokes.
Congratulations to the lucky winner!
Hi Sissi – I think the “radis noir” is another one of these forgotten vegetables, and to be honest I never tried this either – I’ve never seen it in England before so I wouldn’t quite know what to do with it.
I have no idea why it’s called artichoke to be honest – they couldn’t be more dissimilar ๐ Don’t forget to check back on Saturday for another giveaway post ๐
Thanks Charles for posting about Jerusalem Artichokes. I’ve seen Jamie Oliver cook with them on his TV show. He did a recipe about a family Christmas and cooked them in a dish with cream and butter. I have seen them in the shops but give them a wide birth and walk past them suspiciously as am not too sure what to do with them. I will keep your recipe and give this a try. Your soup looks intriguing. Oh…and I can’t understand why I didn’t win the pony!!!
Hi Hotly Spiced – I must look up this Jamie Oliver recipe. Now I’ve discovered these little yummy “lumps” it’s fun to try new variations on cooking methods.
There’ll be a new giveaway post on Saturday – something cute and fun so I hope you’ll come back and take part then too ๐
I have no idea why they’re called jerusalem artichokes (or topinanbours either). But I know they’re some traditional Moroccan recipes using them. They are available in a specific short season and they disappear after that!
A friend of mine buys them and Freezes them (half-way cooked) althought it’s not the same as eaten fresh. She’s so crazy about them…
I’ll tell her about this curry-version.
Hi Nada – I’d love to see some traditional Moroccan recipes with them inside… did you ever post any, or do you plan to? I love seeing new recipes for things I just recently discovered!
I wish, but there is no way I can find these here….
Aw, that’s too bad ๐ Well – if you are ever able to get a hold of any (maybe on a your next trip to Wales) – I’ll be all ears (and eyes) ๐
What a great recipe! We donยดt get Jerusalen artichokes in Andalucia but I did used to buy them when I was in the UK. I saw a programme about Victorian cooking years ago and it seems that in England they fell out of favour as an ingredient during that “prudish” era because they have a tendenct to create…er…..gases!!
Hi Chica Andaluza, thanks for dropping by! I can well imagine these falling out of favour if they were causing gases… haha, those Victorians – they even covered table legs so as not to arouse the easily excitable men ๐
You won’t believe it but I had plans to make an artichoke soup this week!! My recipe is NOT as fun as yours though!! So I will now make my soup and tweek it to your flavors!!
Hi Linda – what a coincidence! Hope you’re able to give this, or something similar a try at some point – will you be posting your recipe too?
You know, whenever I hear the word artichoke, I tend to think of globe artichokes… I donโt think Iโve ever prepared Jerusalem Artichokes before so Iโm happy to have your well laid-out method here. The Indian spices sound dynamite in this mixture and what a pretty photo too!
Congrats Fati! Enjoy…
Thanks Kelly – they can be very knobbly which makes them a huge pain to peel sometimes, but they’re pretty darn cheap and versatile so that makes up for it. I think I’ll try them mashed next time – yummy… bit of nutmeg, nice ๐
Don’t forget to check back on Saturday for another post with photos and a giveaway ๐
Will do! ๐
This looks so flavorful Charles! Nice work! I love soups like this, I must try it… I’m still trying to find a pretty waffle maker after your last post ๐
Thanks Jen – Amazon UK has one here, although you’d need a plug adapter (and possibly some sort of voltage transformer thing) to get it working in the US. Hope you’re able to get a hold of one ๐
I have never heard of curry roasted artichoke soup before. I;m sitting here thinking “Why haven’t I heard of this before” lol. This really does look decadent, smooth, and perfect to eat since it’s cold outside. And Congrats to the winner!! :).
Thanks Kay – you should definitely give them a try. I was a bit “iffy” at first when I first heard of, and saw, them but once you try them you’ll realise they’re actually pretty great ๐
A very informative post Charles. I’ll be on the lookout for Jerusalem Artichokes now. However, I need to remember to pick up about 10 when I see them. I almost made your Aubergine Lasagna on the weekend, but I didn’t buy enough eggplant (I hate it when my memory fails me). I made something that used the meat sauce and the bechamel sauce though….I’ll post about it shortly.
Hi Barb – I hope you’re able to get a hold of some of these cute little roots – they’re well worth a try! Looking forward to seeing your upcoming post too… Just from the fact it has meat sauce and bรฉchamel sauce I know it’s going to be awesome ๐
I am not very sure about this root you used in the soup but it looks very familiar to something we eat and i only know the ‘hindi’ name for that ๐
Hi Kankana, Google tells me it’s this in Hindi: ??????? ??????
Is that it?
Bah, and it doesn’t show up on wordpress :/ – well, here’s the link I used.
Aha!! Jerusalem Artichokes are a familiar vegetable in the part of India where I grew up. My mother roasted them until they were crispy brown and they were sweet, spiced and crispy like water chestnuts-Yum. Another favorite of mine:) Love the creamy look of the soup
Hi Malli – they’re a great substitute for water chestnuts aren’t they? Those are normally so expensive here so it’s cool I could find a “cheap” alternative ๐
Another intriguing ingredient I’ve never used. ๐ As another poster said, curry makes things better. I’ve combined butternut or acorn squash and cooked chickpeas with curry powder for a yummy pureed soup in the past and this seems similar.
Pretty picture. It almost looks like a smiley face.
Thanks A_Boleyn – it’s definitely true – curry is a fantastic spice. Can even stick it in mayonnaise for a delicious addition ๐ I love acorn squashes… they’re so pretty… Hope I can find one one day (they’re not so common here in France I found).
I really love the colours and the curry flavours in this, I can actually imagine how this would smell!
Thanks Noodle! It was a beautiful rich smell – especially when the roasting was going on!
Congratulations to Fati! What fun! ๐ And I’m going to have to look for these Jerusalem artichokes now. They sound fantastic – as does this soup. I like the seasonings you chose for the soup too. You’re going to have me on a mission to find this little root now. ๐
Thanks Kristy – I wonder how your kids would find it. Cooked in the right way it’s fairly innocuous – no weird textures or flavours so they might like it a lot (I hope)! ๐
Congratulations! I LOVED the drop down menu to see who the winner was! The soup looks amazing – and roasting is always a flavor enhancer! I’ve actually never worked with jerusalem artichokes – but you make it look delicious!
Thanks Ann – glad you liked the drop-down menu ๐ It’s a fun little feature I think! I love roasting – bringing out all those natural sugars and caramelising them all up… yummy!
Dear Charles,
I love jerusalem artichokes and we can get those which have been marinated with herbs such as thyme and olive oil. They are really great with salads and pasta.
I do agree that roasting gives the vegetable a nice smoky flavour and adds more dimension to your soup. Looks delicious and I can sure soak that up with some freshly baked bread as well ๐
Hi Chopinand – now that I’ve “discovered” this cheap ingredient I feel like I really have to try and profit from them while they’re still available in the stores. I think the season might end soon ๐
Congrats to the winner! ๐ I have never heard of Jerusalem artichoke before. But the soup looks so creamy and delicious!
Thanks Sook – you should try and give them a try if you get the chance! They’re really fun ๐
I’ve never tried these – which is unusual as I’ve tried many, many foods! This sounds delicious. I add curry to my lentil soup and my hubby loves it – guess I might need to give this a try. As for the waffle recipe – I’ll get on that when Orange month is over!
Hi Linda – lentil soup – that’s another one I need to make again soon. Love the stuff! Hope you’re able to try this recipe – let me know what you think if so.
As for the waffles – you could always grate in some zest and turn them into orange waffles ๐
Congratulation to Fati on the win. I like that you used your wife as an adjudicator ๐ I’ve never cooked with artichokes before. I love the name – Jerusalem artichokes. Also love soups in the winter. Can you please send some over? ๐
Hi BakingAddict – I think the name is cool – I have no idea how it came about. Your comment about sending some over actually reminded me that I still have some in my refrigerator. I should freeze it (or eat it) because I don’t want it to spoil!
Congrats Fati! I too was thinking of the globe artichokes. I had to look up Jerusalem artichokes, they’re high in potassium and iron and fiber too!
This is what I love about discovering food blogs, you learn so much about new foods. I noticed you post the approximate price of the meal and the calories. I appreciate that, I know how much work goes into calculating the calories. I use a software program, what do you use?
Hi Lisa,
Thanks so much – you should definitely try these if you can, they’re really very tasty, considering they’re rather shunned these days as being “not cool”
For the calories, I use WolframAlpha. It’s an incredible tool. Try just typing in something like: “100g Butter”, or “3 eggs”, or “2 cups Eggplant” and it’ll list all sorts of nutritional value about it.
I’ll check out the website. thanks! And maybe I’ll try the Jerusalem artichokes even though they look like ugly potatoes according to my 5 year old! ๐
Bwahaha, that made me chuckle ๐ If you don’t think of them as potatoes they actually look kind of cool. The patterns on them is really pretty I think ๐ Let me know if you try them!
Haha, I agree with Lisa’s son, they do look kind of like knobby potatoes. But after you peeled them and roasted them? They definitely turned into little nuggets of roasted perfection. This soup looks so delicious and hearty!
Haha, knobby potatoes ๐ Thanks Kyleen – I’m gonna try them mashed next. I bet they’d be delicious that way too ๐
We’re having my nephew on sunday for dinner and I wanted to make something new…this looks perfect (although I shall leave out the cream). I’ve never made jerusalem artichokes, ever, so I am very excited to try them. Your description of its taste sound delicious for a creamed winter time soup. Thanks for the inspiration, yet again, Charles!
Thanks so much Eva – it’s so kind of you to say ๐ I do hope you enjoy it… let me know what you think ๐
Hi Charles! I made the soup on the weekend, and although I did not find the artichokes compelling enough I did love your spices, so next time I’m using cauliflower with the garam masala and curry! Very tasty indeed!
From the picture, I thought Jerusalem Artichokes was something similar to what we eat, but after Googling and dictionary, it was completely different. =P So I’ve never heard or used Jerusalem Artichokes before. I wonder how it tastes like – is it quite different from, let’s say… potatoes? Looks delicious!!! I love creamy soup like this. YUMMY~~~!
Hi Nami – it’s actually not *so* different to a potato. You can do really the same sort of things with it, although the taste is a bit hard to describe. I think it’s the kind of thing you need to try to know truly.
I haven’t had jerusalem artichokes in years! I loved them the few times I’ve had them so it looks like they are going to have to come back into my kitchen. Your soup sounds and looks delicious! Interesting use of both garam marsala and curry poweder. YUM!
Thanks so much MJ – I’m glad I’ve started having the little things again myself too! ๐
Hi Charlie,
I love those artichokes to. I read somewhere that ‘Jerusalem’ is a corruption of the Spanish ‘girasol’ ( sunflower)’ because they are said to be some kind of plant relation.
Clare x
Hi Clare – I checked on Wikipedia and apparently these roots were thought to have been called “girasole” by Italian settlers in the US (the flowers of this plant and sunflowers are of the same genus), so I think that’s probably indeed how the name came about!
Charles, this sounds delicious. I never think of Jerusalem artichokes (also called sunchokes), but I know I would love them all sorts of ways. And THIS way would give me another way to use my scrummy garam masala before it goes off.
Hi Jean, I’m glad I’ve started trying them myself too – they’re very versatile, and a good soup in the cold weather is never a bad idea ๐
I’ve never tasted artichokes before — I know, shocker right? ๐ That soup looks divine! Have a great weekend, Charles ๐
Thanks so much Kiran – you too! ๐
Oooh, Congratulations to Fati!!:) I am sure she’d be a great owner of the little horse!!;)
Back to your recipe, honestly, I’ve not seen this Jerusalem artichoke here at all, or even heard of it and I’m glad your blog post educated me on it *big GRIN* ๐
You are always so innovative and bold with your choices in cooking, and I am sure it tasted as awesome as it sounds ๐
Aw, thanks Christy – if you ever get the chance to try this little root, I’d recommend it. It’s not like “taste explosion”, but it’s definitely fun to try new things ๐
Believe it or not I have never had artichokes before!
Mum never made them and I plan on trying them but never do.
Recipes like yours make me feel I am really missing out
Hehe – “missing out”… I feel the same whenever people post things I’ve never tried. The problem is, there’s a whole big wide world of food and not enough hours in the day ๐
Go Fati! This looks just wonderful.Who could argue with cream, curry and artichoke!
Cheers Greg – I can’t believe they’re so pricey round where Eva lives though! What about where you are? They’re a real cheap delight here!
In California they often call these things “sunchokes.” We used to grow them in the backyard. I’m wondering about adapting your curry recipe for celery root and parsnips (I have a lot of those at the moment). Would you do it? Or do you have favorite recipes for these other winter roots?
Hi Sharyn, thanks for stopping by! I’ve heard the name sunchoke too I think. I believe they’re related to the sunflower in some way… the flowers from these roots are a beautiful yellow flower. I bet celeriac and parsnips would work amazingly well in this style too. I can’t often get parsnips (they don’t seem so popular in France… :/ ) so when I do get them I tend to have them on their own to appreciate their flavour, but normally I’d definitely roast them up with curry – sounds great!
For parsnips – it’s funny you should mention it, I’m actually making something with them on Sunday – check out my post on Monday for that! ๐
I love the way you made soup croutons by wiping the roasting pan with bread and baking the bread bits. Brilliant. A cook after my own heart: frugal and resourceful.
Hehe, thanks Sharyn – and extra tasty and easy this way too, since all the wonderful spices are already infused into the oil ๐
I think the trouble with Jerusalem Artichokes is that some people can get quite bad wind and/or painful stomach cramps from eating them which is why many chefs wonโt use them as they get worried people will think they have got food poisoning. And of course their common nickname is โfartichockesโ…which โmightโ not sell them as a vegetable to try!!
Haha – I have to say, luckily I don’t suffer too badly at all after eating them, but it must be quite unpleasant if you’re afflicted by stomach cramps just from eating a humble root ๐ That would certainly explain why they’re not favoured in restaurants!
After sharing a pre theatre michelin star experience last night, containing both worrying ingredients for me… but only in a small amount,.. pureed jerusalem artichokes and another dish with three tiny salsify ‘chips’ I can confirm atleast one of them is utterly poisonous. Not only did I suffer intense stomach pain and constant gas from both ends starting around 5am, but was awake 2hrs going to the bathroom with cold sweats and eventually after three movements… the shits ๐ My body was in an unstoppable rush to expel this poison. Apparently according to the net, it only gets a proper reaction from a small portion of people but I think they need an attached health warning! I was so ill, properly poisoned, it shouldn’t be dismissed as laughable farts. I doubt any scientists have done enough testing on these two as there is no trace apparently of them being poisonous, it may be a rare reaction, but it needs some kind of proper note online/ in books about its potential extreme effects and potential poisoning. I have only found I laypersons comment about each so far… Today, I am still burping and a little uncomfortable/ worse for wear, but who needs cold sweats, shaking, moaning, stomach twisting delirium that together felt like near death agony. I’ve had both roots seperately before hence my caution, but never have I had violent sweats and the shits! It was in the league of Oysters. I started fine with them and reactions got worse and worse. Never again will I eat these three, not even a little, quantity seemingly has no bearing on the reaction. I will miss the great taste of pureed jerusalem artichokes, but be warned ‘minority’
Well I have found out a few things about this rhizome, it contains concentrates of inulin, being a rhizome rather alot… as does teh root salsify!
Inulin is a natural storage carbohydrate presenting in more than 36,000 species of plants including wheat, onion, bananas, garlic, asparagus, and chicory. For these plants, inulin is used for reserving energy as well as regulating cold resistance.
The side effects of inulin dietary fiber diet which may occur in sensitive persons:[39]
Intestinal discomfort, including flatulence, bloating, stomach noises, belching, and cramping
Diarrhea
Proliferation of harmful bacteria. As a prebiotic, there is no guarantee that harmful bacteria will not develop.[citation needed]
Anaphylatic allergic reaction. (Rare) Inulin is used for Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) testing, and in some isolated cases has resulted in allergic reaction, possibly linked to a food allergy response.
Well atleast I didn’t get the anaphylatic experience, it really was potentially deadly, yikes! really should be more widely known.
Yikes – I hope you’re feeling better now. They’re not for everyone unfortunately… they can have some rather bad side-effects.
The side-effects can, I believe, be mitigated, but never completely removed alas… it’s why it’s an ingredient which is usually quite rare on restaurant menus.
great receipt, made it last week and going to make it again now.
thank you
Thank you Geraldine! I’m glad you enjoyed it ๐
hi charles! Did you know the skins are not at all tough. A good scrubbing is sufficient, especially with the roasting and puree-ing. The plant is an artichoke relative, just that in this one, we eat the rootbulb parts. I often make potato pancakes with approx half grated J-artichoke. peace!
Hey, thanks for dropping by! I didn’t know that actually… thanks for the great tip. It’s always such a pain to peel these because they’re so small and knobbly. Nice bit of extra fibre too if you keep on the skins! The potato pancakes sound really nice – I’ll have to try some of those too!