Jerusalem Artichoke recipes
information
These white tubers are not, in fact, artichokes at all; they belong to the sunflower family. They are a winter vegetable and are usually available from October to April. Jerusalem artichokes can be served in a variety of ways and in particular make an excellent soup.
to buy
Allow 150 - 200 g per person. The tubers should be hard and firm. Prime tubers are fairly regular in shape and measure about 10 X 5 cm. Try to avoid buying artichokes which are very misshapen because they are difficult to peel and consequently cause a lot of wastage.
to store
Artichokes will store for a few weeks in a cool vegetable rack or larder.
to prepare
Wash the artichokes thoroughly, then peel thinly or scrape, and put at once into acidulated water; this helps to keep the vegetables white. Cut into slices or pieces convenient for serving just before cooking.
to boil
Cook in just enough boiling, salted, acidulated water to cover for about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain thoroughly and serve either with melted butter and seasoned with freshly ground black pepper, or with a white, Bechamel or Hollandaise sauce.
to steam
Scrub the artichokes, but leave them whole and unpeeled. Season with salt and cook in the top of a steamer over a pan of boiling water for about 40 minutes. Peel and slice them and serve as for boiled artichokes.
to roast
Parboil the artichokes, as above, for 5 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Put into hot dripping in a roasting tin, or in the tin containing a roast joint. Roll in the fat and cook in a fairly hot oven, 190°C, Gas 5, for about 1 hour, turning 2 - 3 times during cooking. The colour of artichokes cooked in this way is not very good but the flavour is excellent.
to stew
Heat 50 g butter for every 750 g - 1 kg artichokes. Add the peeled and sliced artichokes and season to taste; cover tightly and cook for about 30 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time. Serve in the cooking liquor or add this to a white or Bechamel sauce.
to deep fry Method
Peel and slice the artichokes very thinly and soak in acidulated water for 10 minutes. Dry thoroughly and fry in deep fat or oil until golden-brown. Drain on soft kitchen paper and season with salt and pepper.
to deep fry Method #2
Peel the artichokes and cut into 1 cm slices. Parboil for 5 minutes, drain, and dry thoroughly. For 750 g artichokes, make up a double quantity of coating batter. Dip the artichoke slices into the batter and fry in deep fat or oil until golden-brown, turning once during cooking. Drain thoroughly and serve very hot with fried parsley.
to puree
Mash, sieve or blend steamed or boiled artichokes, and to every 1 kg artichokes (weight before cooking) add 2 tbls milk and 25 - 50 g butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve sprinkled with plenty of chopped parsley.
