Jerusalem artichoke soup

Also called sunchoke, sunroot or topinambour, the Jerusalem artichoke is a root vegetable from the sunflower family and is native, well… not from Jerusalem but from eastern North America.

The Jerusalem artichoke brings a number of vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, etc) and minerals among which iron, phosphorus and potassium. It may also play a role as a prebiotic.

So here is the recipe for a healthy Jerusalem artichoke soup for 2-3 people. The soup is ready in 55 minutes or so.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 cup of leek (the white part), peeled and finely chopped
• 3 cups of Jerusalem artichoke (about 400 gr), peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 5 cups of water
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup of half and half

Preparation

In a cooking pot over high heat, add the olive oil and leek, and cook for a few minutes until the leek softens. Add the Jerusalem artichoke and garlic, and cook a few minutes more.

Cover with 5 cups of water, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes or so, until the artichoke is soft.

Remove from the heat, and carefully blend the soup with a stick blender – or a blender/food processor (bring back the soup to the cooking pot after blending). Stir in the half and half, taste the soup and add more pepper and salt if needed. Cook a few minutes more until the soup is slightly thicker and hot through, and serve.