Winter has arrived early here in SE Ontario, and with a vengeance. I may not be able to dig up any more Jerusalem artichokes this year, but at least I got one last harvest this past weekend. I dried most of them, mostly to be ground into flour, but mixed a few with the potatoes and leeks I dug up on the same day to make a wonderful soup. I could have called my soup Jerusalem Artichoke Vichyssoise, but since I used an additional ingredient, something other than the potatoes and leeks, I did not want to offend any Vichyssoise traditionalists. Still, this soup has the same rich, velvety texture, but with a little sweetness provided by the artichokes.
First a short note about the leeks. I was delighted to have grown this year the biggest best leeks I have ever grown, and at the same time disappointed that I had not planted a lot more. With so few to use, I made an effort not to waste any. When cleaning and cutting the leeks, I resisted just chopping off the dark green part. I carefully trimmed the leaves, starting with the outer leaves where the leaf leaves off being crisp. Each layer in turn needs less trimmed off, and the centre leaves, which are very tender, are cut the longest. So they look like this:
Then slice the lengthwise and clean between the layers carefully to remove any soil.
Then, having discarded the very dry and woody bits, I reserved the dark green leaves from the trimming to make a delicious stock.
The exact quantities for this soup are not terribly important. Just a mixture of the three vegetables, some water, seasoning and cream and Bob’s your uncle. This is how I made it.
Potato, Leek and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Ingredients
2 small or 1 large leek
4 medium potatoes
1 cup of jerusalem artichokes
broth or water to cover
1/2 to 1 cup almond (or regular) milk
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Peel, clean and roughly chop the vegetables. Place in a pot and cover with water or stock. Simmer gently until all the vegetables are well cooked. Blend in a blender or food processor and return to the pot. Add as much milk as you need to make it the right consistency, and salt and pepper to taste.
Other posts on Jerusalem Artichokes
Jerusalem Artichoke and Fennel Soup
Jerusalem Artichoke, Mushroom and Black Walnut Soup
November 19, 2014 at 4:56 am
This is so beautiful. I love the photos. It must be such a gratifying feeling to grow your own vegetables and use them in a soup this delicious. I love that you use almond milk instead of cream. I feel like if the vegetables are fresh, the soup often speaks for itself without heavy cream. Perfect soup for this cold.
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November 19, 2014 at 5:00 am
Thanks, Amanda. Yes, everything was very fresh, and of course organic. It is great to have a whole dish with almost everything planted yourself from seed, but as long as they are locally grown, store bought is almost as good.
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November 19, 2014 at 7:00 am
Lovely soup. I adore Jerusalem artichokes, unfortunately, I am the only one in this house… and I bet they are a great addition to potato and leek soup. You grind the artichokes to flour? How intriguing! And what do you do with the flour?
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November 19, 2014 at 2:42 pm
Thanks Darya. I use the flour mostly for thickening soups and sauces, but sometimes add it to savoury biscuits and things. Still working on how to use it.
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November 19, 2014 at 7:33 am
Your soup looks delicious and creamy, Hilda, and I love working with Jerusalem artichokes. I can’t wait to see them at the market.
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November 19, 2014 at 2:59 pm
Thanks Linda. I’m always glad to find people who enjoy the little odd balls too.
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November 19, 2014 at 9:21 am
this is the first time I have seen purple skin potatoes. Soup looks creamy and just what we need in winter evenings 🙂
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November 19, 2014 at 2:58 pm
Hi Andy, The purple potatoes are just one of the many anonymous varieties we have growing in the garden. They are my favourite though.
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November 19, 2014 at 5:48 pm
am envious 😀
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November 19, 2014 at 2:14 pm
We were just watching a Jacques Pepin show where he made leek soup. Chefie uses leeks all the time at work, but would you believe that I never have? My frugal brain says, “Oh, they’re just fancy onions,” but Chefie informs me otherwise. I think as part of my “branching out” this winter, I’m going to commit to “treating” myself to leeks and this is a great recipe to start with, as all of the purveyors at our farmers market are practically giving Jerusalem artichokes away.
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November 19, 2014 at 2:57 pm
Leeks really are worth trying, even if they are fancy onions. And if your vendors at the market are happy to part with some Jerusalem artichokes, I hope you give those a try too. Especially in small amounts combined with other vegetables, they add a very nice flavour.
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November 19, 2014 at 2:43 pm
Great for lunch on a cold day
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November 21, 2014 at 1:01 am
I don’t think I had Jerusalem in soup before, but one thing I know, whenever I added leek and carrots to a soup, it was superb.
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