As the story goes, I was doing a little Sunday shopping with Kelly at the Ballard market a year or so ago and came across a vendor selling some spindly little roots called Jerusalem artichokes. I asked the farmer why they had this name, he explained that their flavor was exactly that of an artichoke heart and if I'd never tried one before I was surely missing out. During this conversation with the farmer, a stranger appeared and proceeded to explain how these little roots would blow my [expletive] mind. Strangers feeling the need to express how something will "blow your mind" can either be an indicator of sheer crazy or an indicator of how spectacular something is. I chose to believe that, although both factors were likely at play, this was mostly an expression of the latter, and bought a few pounds to roast for dinner that night. Much credit to the stranger, as they really did blow my mind. They were simple to prepare and tasted exactly like artichoke hearts only bigger and meatier, all I did was roast them in olive oil with a little sea salt and and served them with lemon butter.
All that to say, when I came upon this recipe for Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Bacon, I began preparing to have my mind blown yet again. I made it last Sunday and served it alongside sautéed orange chard with garlic that Allison made (recipe for the Orange Chard to follow).
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE SOUP WITH BACON
2 1/2 pounds Jerusalem artichokes
3 1/2 ounces bacon, diced or cut into matchsticks
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
4 cups chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste
1/2 tsp. rosemary, fresh or dried
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
sour cream for serving
Serves 4 to 6.
Peel the Jerusalem artichokes with a vegetable peeler, to the best of your abilities. I wasn't able to peel mine, so I boiled with peels still on and it worked fine.
Rinse the Jerusalem artichokes in one or two changes of water, cut them into 1 inch chunks and place them in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, add salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until vegetables are soft, but not falling apart.
In a separate soup pot add the bacon and cook until browned. A minute before the bacon is entirely browned, add the garlic and cook for a minute until softened, stirring frequently to avoid coloring.
Drain the vegetables and place in a bowl, blending with either an immersion blender or hand mixer. Add blended vegetable to the soup pot with hot stock and bacon, stir, and bring to a simmer on medium heat.
If soup still has large chunks, blend again. Strain through a large-holed strainer and place drained soup liquid back into soup pot, bring to a boil again. Divide among soup bowls, top with a dallop of sour cream and serve.
