I saw some nubby-looking, curious vegetables in the produce aisle last week and once I identified them as sunchokes also known as Jerusalem artichokes, I knew I had to buy them and find a recipe to use them with. Sunchokes taste like artichoke hearts but look like fingerling potatoes with some knobby bumps. They are actually from the sunflower family, native to North America and Native Americans referred to them as what can be translated into sun-roots. So why Jerusalem in the moniker? It’s pretty much unknown but there are quite a few theories you can Google if curious.

Now, on to the recipe! Normally I get a bit frowny when I think of vegan food but I wanted to give it a try and see how this vegan soup would turn out. Seeing as how I love potato soup, I had a good feeling about it. I didn’t take the time to peel the sunchokes because they were so knobby so I just rinsed, dried, and chopped them up into chunks. I did peel the potatoes and of course the garlic. The recipe was fast to make and I used simple water instead of stock because I only had chicken and beef in the pantry. I used my new blender Christmas gift and it made blending the soup into a smooth puree happen in seconds.

The result was a soup that was slightly sweet with earthy, grassy tones. It tasted very much like a perfect combination of your typical potato soup with some artichoke hearts thrown in. The garlic gave it a subtle zesty flavor and I added a good dousing of sea salt, good quality olive oil, some of my homemade croutons and fresh thyme leaves to make the soup visually and taste-wise impressive and hearty. I fully recommend giving this recipe a go when sunchokes come to your neighborhood grocer, which is at peak time between October and April. Enjoy!

Jerusalem Artichoke/Sunchoke, Potato, & Garlic Soup

Recipe by: FoodWanderings.com, 2013

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• Juice of 1/2 of a small lemon (or 2 Tbsp. lemon juice)
• 6 cups water or vegetarian stock
• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed large
• 1 lb Jerusalem artichokes/sunchokes, peeled (if possible) and cut into large chunks
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 stalk of celery plus 1 small inner stalk with leaves on it, diced
• 1 small head of garlic, peeled cloves
• Sea salt to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• Croutons (See Everyday Cooking Adventures’ easy recipe here)
• Thyme leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Add the lemon/lemon juice to 6 cups of cold water and stir. Keep peeled and cubed potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes in the lemony water until ready to be added to the sautéd onions and celery.

2. Meanwhile, add the oil to a deep soup pot and heat it on medium-low heat. Add the onions and celery and sauté for a few minutes while mixing occasionally, until soft, but make sure they don’t caramelize.

3. Add the lemony water with the potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes to the soup pot. Add the garlic cloves, salt and white pepper to taste, bring to a boil and immediately turn down to simmer. Cover with a lid and cook until vegetables are fork tender, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour for a super soft consistency. Stir occasionally throughout the process.

4. Remove from the heat. Adjust for salt and let cool about 15-20 minutes before pureeing with an immersion blender. Reheat on the stovetop and garnish with croutons, olive oil (if desired) and thyme leaves.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator, covered. Reheat to serve. Can be frozen as well for up to 1 month.