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
