Jerusalem Artichoke Season!



Sunchoke

 The Adirondacks have experienced at least one frost. There have been 2 nights at my home where the temperatures have dipped to a refreshing 28-30 degree range.  I know it is now time to start enjoying Jerusalem Artichokes.

Jerusalem artichokes are not from Jerusalem and are not related to artichokes in any way. They are actually native to North America. The Native Americans called them "sun roots" and introduced these prolific tubers to the Puritan settlers who quickly adopted them as a staple food. The explorer Samuel de Champlain was first introduced to "sunchokes" when he visited a Native American vegetable garden  in Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1605. Champlain believed that they tasted like artichokes and broght the tubers from sunchokes back to France. From France, the sunchoke traveled to Italy sometime before 1633. Tthe Italian word for sunflower, "girasole", which means "turning to the sun" was, as is so often the case, corrupted into the word "Jerusalem" .

Nutritional value:  327 mg. of potassium for a half-cup serving , 57 calories, 1.5. gr. protein, 1.2 gr. fiber, 10.5 mg. calcium, 10 mcg. folacin , a relatively high amount of iron and smaller amounts of niacin and thiamine.


Preparation:

Dig tubers after a frost. Wash and scrub with vegetable brush. It is not necessary to peel them as the skin is edible and tasty.  Place washed tubers in water with a small amount of lemon or vinegar to prevent discoloration before cooking.

Raw sunchokes contain a fairly high amount of inulin and should be sampled in small amounts as the inulin can cause discomfort in the form of "gas".

Raw:


Thinly slice sunchokes and add to salads.
Slice and serve with other vegetables and dips.
Shred them  and add them to coleslaw.
Use your imagination!

Stir Fry: Slice or shred and stir fry  with other fresh vegetables in a little extra virgin olive oil. Sunchokes  will  soften in about 4 to 6 minutes. For a more tender-crisp texture, stir fry about 2 to 4 minutes.

Roasted: Sunchokes can be baked whole or sliced. Toss them in a bowl with a little olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Add garlic, other veggies, parsley and seasonings as you wish. Set the oven temperature at 375 and bake 30 to 45 minutes for whole, and 20 to 25 minutes for sliced, turning them half way through.

Steamed: Coarsely chop and place into a steamer basket. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue at high heat and steam for 5 to 8 minutes. Test for softness. Remove and season to taste or mash like potatoes.

Boiled:  Bring water to a boil over high heat. Add sunchokes and boil for 10 to 15 minutes for whole, and 5 to 8 minutes for cut up. Season as desired or mash like potatoes.

Add sunchokes to soups and stews!

Sunchoke Pecan Sandwich is one of the delicious recipes in Zel Allen's cookbook The Nut Gourmet: Nourishing Nuts for Every Occasion published by Book Publishing Company in 2006.

Yield: 3 to 4 sandwiches

1 ripe avocado

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash cayenne

1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 to 120 ml) organic canola oil

2 cups (480 ml) coarsely shredded sunchokes

1/2 cup (120 ml) raw or toasted pecans, coarsely chopped or coarsely ground

1/4 red bell pepper, finely diced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

6 to 8 slices whole grain bread

12 to 16 large basil leaves

3 ripe tomatoes, sliced

3 to 4 butter lettuce leaves

To make the avocado sauce, wash the avocado, cut it in half, scoop out the flesh, and place it in the blender. Add the lemon juice, salt, and cayenne and blend briefly. With the machine running, slowly add the canola oil, using just enough to create a thick, creamy sauce. Stop the machine occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender jar and stir the mixture.

To make the sunchoke filling, combine the sunchokes, pecans, and red bell pepper in a medium bowl. Add enough of the avocado sauce to moisten and hold the mixture together. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Spread a thin coating of the avocado sauce over one side of each of the bread slices. Spread the sunchoke mixture over half the bread slices and top with the basil leaves, tomato slices, and lettuce. Place the remaining bread slices over the filling and cut the sandwiches in half..


If you would like more sunchoke recipes, you may email me at adkshoer@aol.com