Jerusalem Artichoke?

[Omi]

Does anyone have any good recipes? A couple of years ago while in France I brought home a tiny piece of one (called Topinambor in French). I planted it and this year I have a nice little harvest. By the way, they have nothing to do with Jerusalem and are not related to the artichoke. They do have a taste somewhat similar to an artichoke. The Jerusalem part well, according to my research, evolved by miscommunication. The plant is actually related to the sunflower, girasol in French, over the years girasol became jerusalem. They look similar to ginger but thats as far as that similarity goes. Anyway, I have coated them in olive oil and roasted them and I also eat them raw. Any other suggestions would be welcome! AKA the sunchoke.

[Anneke]

Omi,
Topinambours are my favourite. I like to peel and slice them, sear them in butter till golden, flip over, brown again and use a lid if not cooked through. I finish with truffle oil. Truffles and sunchokes are a match made in heaven!

They are also lovely cooked (seared) and blended with shallots and a Pommery dressing for a warm salad.

Good luck!

[Suzanne]

I've had a pureed soup made with them -- steam them until soft, then puree with stock and heavy cream. Yum.

I also like to dice and steam them and add them to succotash along with corn, beans, and squash.

[Pete]

I like to peel and dice them, then steam or boil until just tender, cool and then saute in butter until browned. They are also a nice addition to a medley of root vegetables, and as Suzanne said they make a great soup. I have also used them as a puree, as a bed for beef or lamb, and they make a great addition to mashed potatoes. Cook and puree them, letting them drain a little afterwards and add to just enough mashed potatoes to stiffen them.

[Omi]

Thank you all! I have enough that I will be trying out all of these suggestions and more!

[Mangilao30]

All I can say is GRATIN, GRATIN, GRATIN!!

[shahar]

Jerusalem artichokes are some of the most gaseous vegetable. They include sugars which the body can't break. The bacteria in your guts eat it instead and the rest is odorous history. This could mean embarrassment on a good day and hospitalization in extreme bad cases.
Blanching them chokes should be a good idea!

[Suzanne]

Wow! I didn't know that, shahar. Thanks for the info!

[Fleshy]

I got this one off of a recipe site. They said it was by Jamie Oliver and it turned out great.

Soup:

2 tbsp butter
2 cloves of garlic (smashed)
an onion
about a pound of jerusalem artichokes
some fresh tyme
4-5 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
marcapone cheese
hazelnuts

Get a big pan melt the butter in it. and fry up the onion, potato, thyme and artichokes. add the stock, bring it all to a boil and simmer it for around half an hour (until the potatoes and artichokes are cooked). Once it's done blennd it all up. Reheat it and serve it with a nice cheese on top, and sprinkle some hazelnuts on it.

[Omi]

I will give this a try. I also add them to my mashed potatoes, they seem to cook faster than the potatoes so I add them a litttle bit after the potatoes.

I also gave them to a local chef and he used them in ceviche.

[Suzanne]

Ceviche, eh? How? Sounds very interesting.

[Mezzaluna]

Jerusalem artichokes are some of the most gaseous vegetable.

Would Beano help? I know it works for stopping gas due to cruciferous veggies (cabbage, etc.) and for zucchini.

[shahar]

"Beano"?
Beg you pardon?

[Suzanne]

It's a liquid you can add to your food to minimize the . . . um . . . negative effects that many people suffer from foods containing certain types of complex carbohydrates, such as beans and cabbage.

Beano contains a food enzyme from a natural source that works with your body’s digestion to break down the complex sugars in gassy foods making them more digestible.