Smothered by Sunchokes
Dec 14th, 2007 | By Hank | Category: The Garden | Comments | 4 Comments |
I am inundated with artichokes. OK, maybe not real artichokes, but jerusalem artichokes, which aren’t really artichokes at all. They are North America’s answer to South America’s potato, a yummy tuber that grows beneath a weedy, eight-foot tall sunflower-like plant. I first grew them in Virginia, after reading that the local Indians had once eaten them with gusto, and then farted happily for hours afterward. (Yes, the inulin in the sunchoke is pretty tough to digest.) Turns out they’ve been incorporated into European cuisine since the 1600s, and are traditionally eaten in the Piedmont of Italy raw with bagna cauda, a garlicky anchovy spread. This is a good thing, because I make a pretty decent version of this spread, and because I am now the proud owner of two five-gallon buckets full of these damn things!
I’ve eaten a few already, and I like them raw: They taste like jicama or water chestnuts, crunchy, juicy and slightly nutty. I also like them chunked and sauteed with shallots, garlic and either pancetta or guanciale. Pork goes well with everything, but it marries especially well with sunchokes. The Garden-Cook event last month was all about jerusalem artichokes, and Paulchen’s Food Blog just posted the results. Any of you out there have any other suggestions?
Meanwhile, I am working on several uses for these knobby lumps of love, starting with a salad dish.
This is an ingredient I NEVER see around here. I’ve wanted to cook with them for a while, but honestly, I don’t know where I’d even buy one, or even anybody that grows them.
We can get them pretty much year-round her in PDX at our locally-owned and fantastic New Seasons stores. And the addition of persimmons to the salad is a very nice touch. Thanks for the recipe!
Never seen ‘em, never used ‘em. But intrigued by them, none the less.
Yes and beware – these things are hard to leave your garden – meaning that you will be blessed with fartichokes for many seasons to come without a thorough sifting of the area! But, you knew that already.