Jerusalem Artichoke

Description: Small nobbly root vegetables. The Jerusalem artichoke is a completely different vegetable from the globe artichoke which is the edible heart of the flower and often found marinaded as a mediterranean dish. They can be eaten as a substitute for potatoes and as such are great for people on a slimming diet. Warning! A notorious side effect of Jerusalem artichoke consumption is flatulance.

In Season: November - February

Preparation: Jerusalem artichokes can be boiled, fried, baked, roasted or stewed. To boil scrub the skin and boil in water with a teaspoon of vinegar for 20-25 minutes. Peel before serving.

Recipe: One of the gourmets favourites is creamy jerusalem artichoke soup
500g Jerusalem Artichokes
1 onion
1.5 pints vegetable stock
150ml milk
50g grated cheese
Wash, peel and thinly slice the artichokes. Finely chop the onion and shallow fry in a saucepan with little oil until soft. Add the stock and artichokes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into blender and liquidise then pour back into saucepan and reheat while stirring in the cheese.