Savoury Jerusalem Artichoke Rice

The weather has been so changeable recently, one day the sun is shining and I am out in the gardening - sowing seeds, transplanting plants into the ground, building climbing frames for my legumes, the next its pouring with rain and I'm reaching out for my hot water bottle (yes, sometimes I can be a real wimp!).    And guess what, today its been drizzling.  

The last couple of times when its been wet and windy, I've come home and made Risotto, first Smoked Paprika with white PSB and and then Fennel and Black Olive Risotto.  It could have easily been another Risotto with the last Jerusalem Artichokes of the season, but I've made Jerusalem Artichoke and Parsley Risotto in the past and wanted to try something different, but it still had to be rice.  So I opted for a Pilau/Pilav style rice dish.

I know its not the most well presented dish, just dished up on the plate - but this is how real homely food is served and today, I am not in the mood for faffing about, as well as the fact that the natural lighting is just not conducive for food photography. 

This savoury rice dish is my take on a Pilau rice dish that my mother would make, I have just changed the ingredients in it.  I must say, my mother would just *throw in all the whole spices into the pot to infuse the rice.  It was quite normal for us to be pushing the cassia bark, cinnamon sticks to the side of the plate; or picking out the cloves and peppercorns, so the appearance of these inedible whole spices don’t bother me.  However, I understand not everyone is like me and may find them unsightly, even off putting.  So with the exception of the coriander and cumin seeds, you may wish to tie the spices in a muslin cloth whilst cooking and then remove it when serving up. 

Jerusalem artichoke and parsley risotto

There was once a time when I actually thought Jerusalem Artichokes came from a little place called Jerusalem, and that they were indeed an artichoke. It was only upon growing my own that I learned it was neither from Jerusalem or an artichoke, but actually a type of sunflower.
Like many seasonal home-cooks, I’ve been looking for inspiration on what to do with Jerusalem artichokes which of course are in season. This shouldn’t be that difficult to do, especially as it’s a versatile vegetable. Did you know that you can actually eat them whole knobbly root vegetable including its skin. They can also be eaten raw, added to salads with a little dressing. Or, they can be baked, steamed, stir fried or roasted. However, be careful not to overcook them, as they will turn to mush. You can mash them too but I would recommend half potatoes and half Jerusalem artichokes, otherwise the texture will be somewhat watery. In the past I’ve made Jerusalem artichoke and walnut parcel, crisps, gratin, stoved artichokes and even soup, so was looking for something different to do with them. I flicked through some of my cookbooks and came across variations of Jerusalem artichoke soup recipes, but soup is not what I wanted to make. Then I came across a risotto recipe in one of Denis Cotters cookbooks, without much thought I decided to go with. It was only when I started reading the cooking method that I realised this was not going to be a straightforward risotto recipe, where simple vegetable stock is ladled into the fattening. Making this particular risotto recipe involved a couple of processes. For example, here you have to about cook half the Jerusalem artichokes with some onion and garlic before adding vegetable stock. Then blitzed and sieved to create an intensely flavoured broth which is then used in place of the stock to make the risotto. Mmmm I don’t think I was going to follow the instructions word for word, especially the sieving part. I wasn’t going to be doing that just for D and me, maybe Greg Wallace and John Torode the judges of Masterchef U.K, but not for us, so I had decided that I was going to skip on some of these processes. The other half or the artichokes are roasted and added towards the end of the dish so that they look like oyster mushrooms.

Although cooking risotto in this manner added a little extra cooking time, it was actually worth the wait. The risotto was soft, creamy, deep and nutty in flavour. I also enjoyed this way of making the broth and thank Mr Cotter for introducing me to this method. I can see it working in other root vegetable risottos such as the carrot and parsley risotto that I’ve made in the past and perhaps even a parsnip risotto. MMm I think there is a little chef in me.

I am submitting this recipe into Weekend Herb Blogging#224. WHB is a weekly food blog event that showcases information and recipes about herbs, vegetables, fruits and other plant ingredients. WHB was initiated four years ago by Kalyn's Kitchen, it is now organized by Haalo of Cook (Almost) Anything At Least Once. This weeks host is Huan from Eat.Read.Live.

Jerusalem Artichoke and parsley risottoServes 2 - 3
Ingredients
6 Shallots, finely sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Olive oil
1 ½ pints of vegetable stock
220g Arborio or Carnaroli rice
450g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and sliced
4 – 6 tablespoons minced fresh Parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
For the Jerusalem artichoke broth
In a large saucepan add a little olive oil and add 4 of the shallots and 2 garlic and cook until soft and tender, then add about 300g of thereabouts of the Jerusalem artichokes and cover and cook for about 5 minutes, then add vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so, or until the artichokes are soft. Remove the pan from the heat and blend the mixture to a puree. Return to a pot and keep warm on low heat.
For the roasted artichokes
Coat the remaining artichokes in olive oil and bake them in the oven at Gas mark 4 turning over at least once, until tender. When cooked. Turn oven down to keep warm until the risotto is ready.
For the risotto
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan and gently fry the remaining shallots and garlic for five minutes, than add the rice and toast of medium heat for a few minutes, stirring often until rice is well coated in oil. Now slowly begin to ladle in one or two of the warm Jerusalem artichoke broth. Let this simmer until it is all absorbed, stirring often, then add more broth. Continue this way, until the rice is tender. This should take about 20 – 25 minutes, before adding the last two ladles add the roasted Jerusalem artichokes, parsley and seasoning. Serve immediately on warm plates. Optional: To finish drizzle over some good olive oil or a scattering of vegetarian Parmesan or pecorino. Adapted from the wonderful Denis Cotters Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and me

Jerusalem Artichoke and Mushroom Pithivier

I remember watching a repeat episode with the seafood chef Rick Stein on his travels in France and he made a Pithivier. It really did look temptingly good. Pithivier pronounced [pee-tee-VYAY] are large round, enclosed pies normally made with puff pastry which is then traditionally filled with frangipane, also known as almond cream. Then pastry top is then finished off with a glaze, either by egg-wash or by the caramelising a thin layer of sugar at the end of the cooking process.
You will also find savoury versions of this pithivier, sometimes filled with meat or cheese. I decided to make a savoury one with a seasonal vegetable: the Jerusalem artichoke. Oh and one more thing about pithiviers, the tops are traditionally and skilfully decorated in the style of scallop shells, well as you can see mine is not at all elegantly presented but it sure was flavourful and nutty.

Unfortunately, Jerusalem artichokes are not appreciated by everyone, one of the reason for this is its after effects on the human body: flatulence, but my attitude it, if you only eat it a couple of times during its season, it’s a small price to pay.

I have also found Jerusalem artichokes to be such a versatile ingredient. I only became aware of this when I started growing my own. Upon digging my first batch early last year, I wondered what on earth was I going to do with so many of these knobbly tubers. Since then I’ve made Jerusalem artichoke and walnut parcel, Jerusalem artichoke crisps, Jerusalem artichoke gratin, Jerusalem artichoke soup and stoved Jerusalem artichokes. If you are thinking of growing them, be warned that once you’ve got them in the ground, you have got them pretty much for life. So do think carefully about planting them and where.

Jerusalem Artichoke and Mushroom Pithivier
Serves 4

Ingredients
260g peeled Jerusalem artichokes, thinly sliced (2-3mm)

3 - 4 shallots, thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

150g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

Sprig of rosemary

100ml red wine

250g tinned chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

60g puy lentils, cooked

375g ready rolled puff pastry

Optional: 1 medium free range egg or 1 tbsp soya flour mixed with a little water to glaze
Method
Heat Oven to Gas 4/200C/400F
Saute the artichokes and shallots in the olive oil in a large frying pan until softened and slightly golden. Add the mushrooms and rosemary and cook for a further 2 or 3 minutes before adding the red wine, chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Remove the rosemary sprig and add the cooked lentils.
Roll the pastry sheets into two thin circles, but make one slightly bigger than the other. Place the smaller on a baking sheet and top with the filling, leaving enough of a border. Cover with the larger circle, pressing the edges neatly together and crimping with your fingers or a fork. Make a hole in the centre and brush the pastry with the egg or soya glaze and bake for 20 – 25 minutes until puffed and golden. If you wish you can make 4 individual pithiviers. Adapted from the Vegetarian Society. Original recipe can be found here.

Stoved Jerusalem Artichokes with PSB

Here is some Calabrese Arcadia and my amazing super early Purple Sprouting broccoli (PSB). I picked these from the plot the same time I dug up the Jerusalem artichokes, so this was one of our meals a little while ago.

I made stoved Jerusalem Artichokes and served it alongside steamed broccoli. The Jerusalem artichokes cooked this way are really pleasant, crispy and chewy on the outside and soft on the inside delicately infused with the flavours of the herbs. What was really great about this dish, was that it did not take that much time to cook and eat. So it is certainly one, I will be making again in the future.

Stoved Jerusalem Artichokes with Herbs
serves 2
Ingredients
400g Jerusalem Artichokes

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 bay leaves

Sprig of rosemary

3 tbsp olive oil
Method
Peel artichokes (as they were home grown I did not peel mine) and cut any large ones in half.
Arrange all the ingredients in a large pan so the artichokes are in a single layer. Put pan over high heat until oil is sizzling, then cover, turn heat low and cook for 10 minutes, turning halfway through. Uncover pan, turn up heat and cook for another 10 minutes until the artichokes and garlic are golden on the outside and tender inside. Adapted from Annie Bell's Vegetable Book.

Early Jerusalem Artichokes

The last time I went over to the allotment plot, I brought home a load of early fuseau Jerusalem artichokes. Most of them looked like little rats with long tails.

In the past I have transformed these artichokes into wonderful dishes such as Jerusalem artichoke and walnut parcels and Jerusalem artichoke crisps. This time round because I had so many, I decided to roast them, mash them with minced parsley, as well as make the weekly soup for lunch.
I am never enamoured at the thought of eating Jerusalem artichokes, but when I actually taste it I am always pleasantly surprised. This Jerusalem artichoke soup has an earthy and nutty flavour. The addition of the spice-mix topping, especially the ginger adds an unexpected freshness.

Artichoke Soup with Ginger and Walnuts

Serves 4–6
Ingredients1 large onion, finely sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

4 medium sticks of celery, sliced
½ grated fresh ginger

400g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and chopped into pieces

2 pints of vegetable stock or water

small bunch of parsley, minced

For the spice-mix

1 tsp coriander seed

30g shelled walnuts

30g lump fresh ginger

4 tsp groundnut oil
Method

In a wide pan. cook the onion slices over a low to moderate heat for 15 to 20 minutes until soft. Then add the slices celery, ginger and chopped artichokes to the pan. Stir and then put the lid on so the vegetables sweat and soften without colour, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down so that the soup bubbles gently and partially cover with a lid. It will take about 25 minutes for the artichokes to become truly tender.

For the spice mix: Grind the coriander to a fine powder with a pestle and mortar then add the walnuts, mashing them briefly to a pulp. Peel the ginger and slice it thinly then cut into thin matchsticks. *Warm the oil in then fry the ginger for about 30 seconds till it is golden and crisp. Toss in the crushed walnuts and coriander, let them sizzle briefly, then tip on to kitchen paper.

Blend the soup with a food processor, stir in the chopped parsley and check the seasoning. Ladle into bowls and top with the ginger spice mix. Adapted from Nigel Slater in The Observer.

*I must admit I messed up a bit around the grinding process, I heated the oil a tad too much and it had a tinge of burnt taste to it, plus my ginger wasn’t sliced into delicate matchsticks as required, but that didn’t matter too much. D said it was refreshing to have that ginger kick at the end.

Leeks, peas and Jerusalem artichoke gratin

I have only two vegetables still growing at my plot, Musselburgh leeks and Fuseau Jerusalem Artichokes. I think I still have 4 more plants to dig up.

This dish was made over the weekend for our evening meal. I know there are many Jerusalem artichoke gratin recipes about, but I had to try it for myself. After all what am I going to do with all those Jerusalem Artichokes? This gratin was awfully rich creamy dish, so I strongly recommend serving it with either brown rice which is what we had or with boiled new potatoes.
I must apologise in advance for not posting a picture of the dish on the plate, I did take a photograph, but can’t seem to locate it. I think I may just have deleted it by error. Anyway this is what it looked like before the cheese was poured over the vegetables.

This recipe is adapted from Good Housekeeping Complete Book of Vegetarian Cooking

Leeks, peas and Jerusalem artichoke gratin served with Brown Rice and shallots
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large onion, finely sliced
50g butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
150ml of vegetable stock
¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
2 large onions, trimmed and thickly sliced
700g Jerusalem artichokes, chopped into 1 inch thick chunks
200g frozen peas
150ml double cream
150g cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Heat butter with the oil in a heavy based pan, add the onions and garlic and sweat over moderate heat until the onions are soft. Then add artichoke chunks and cook for about 10 minutes until well coated, then add leeks and cook for a further 10 minutes or more until the artichoke are cooked through and tender. Then add peas and stock and simmer for a further 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to an ovenproof gratin dish.

Preheat oven to gas mark 6.

Boil the remaining liquid quickly, then reduce heat and stir in the cream and 100g of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper and stir until the cheese has melted.

Pour the cheese sauce over the vegetables in the dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the gratin top.

Then bake in oven, middle shelf Gas mark 6 for 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden.

Brown rice with shallots
Ingredients
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
210g long grain brown rice
1 pint of vegetable stock
Salt to taste

For the rice, begin by heating the olive in a pot that has a tight fitting lid. When the oil has warmed up, add shallots and cook for 10 minutes till soft. Next stir in the rice, until they are well coated with the oil and caramelised shallots.

Then add hot stock, along with salt, stir well then cover with lid. Turn the heat on the lowest setting and cook for 40 – 45 minutes OR follow packet instructions. Do not remove the lid and do not stir the rice while cooking, as it will release the starch and make it sticky.

Jerusalem Artichoke crisps

I still have so many Jerusalem artichokes coming from my allotment plot. I have been flicking though my various cookbooks looking for inspiration and different ways to cook this knobbly tuber. However the idea of turning some of these Jerusalem artichokes into crisps did not come from a cookbook. It just occurred to me, if its possible to make crisps from parsnips, beetroot and sweet potatoes, then why not Jerusalem artichokes. So I tried it. I was so glad I did. I think this is my favourite way to eat them. But do fry and eat them on the day, they lose their freshness if kept longer.

This is one of the easiest and tastiest soup ever. Instead of topping with croutons, I decided to top the soup off with Jerusalem artichoke crisps seasoned with rosemary salt. Here's the recipes, if you want to use some of those Jerusalem artichokes. If you don't make the soup, at least try the crisps!

Rosemary and Jerusalem Artichoke crisps with soup
Ingredients
1 pint of vegetable stock made with 2 teaspoons of bouillon
1 onion, finely sliced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 rosemary stalk
500g Jerusalem artichokes, chopped into even size chunks
Salt and pepper to taste

Soften the onion slices in the olive oil, till soft, then add the artichokes with the rosemary stalk, cook for five minutes, then add the stock, bring to the boil.

Then turn heat low and allow to simmer for 30 – 35 minutes, till artichokes are soft.

When cool enough to handle, remove stalk and blend to puree and return to pot. Add seasoning to taste.

For the Rosemary salt flavoured Jerusalem artichoke crisps
For the salt
In a pestle and mortar or in a grinder add 1 table spoon of sea salt and a couple of stalks of rosemary, then pound or grind to a powder.

For the crisps
Vegetable oil for frying Jerusalem artichoke crisps

200g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and then sliced into crisps, using either a mandolin or a potato peeler.

In a wide pot, put in enough oil so that it is about ¼ way up the pot.

Then heat oil and fry slices in batches until the artichoke crisps float to the top and are slightly brown. Drain off excess oil then sprinkle over the rosemary salt powder. Be careful, its powerful stuff

Pour soup into bowls and top with crisps.

Jerusalem artichoke and walnut parcels

I have some Jerusalem artichokes left from last weekends visit to the allotment, so decided to make this recipe: Jerusalem artichoke and walnut parcels. This is a variation from Paul Gaylers book called Vegetarian Cookbook. The original recipe uses brown rice, but I don't have any, so I have substituted it for white rice, which doubles on the quantity. Good if you have a crowd coming over, and I do have some special guests flying over from Wales to stay with me for the week. Its a good dish to prepare in advance.
Jerusalem artichokes and walnut parcels
Ingredients
150g long grain white rice
25g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 leek shredded
175 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
100g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon thyme
100 g fresh breadcrumbs
50g walnuts, chopped
100g cheddar, grated
2 eggs beaten, plus 1 to seal and glaze
2 x 450g Ready rolled puff pastry
flour to dust
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the rice until cooked and drain. Place in a bowl and leave to cool.

In a separate pan, melt the butter, add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the leek, mushrooms, artichokes and thyme. Saute for about 5 minutes until golden. Leave to cool.

In the bowl containing the rice, add the sauteed vegetables, breadcrumbs, walnuts, cheddar and two eggs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roll out one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly, floured work surface. Cut into 6 even sized squares.

Then do this again with the other sheet of puff pastry. so all together you should have 12 squares.

Form the rice mixture into balls, place in the centre of the pastry square and then form parcels. Please look at the photos, as I would be terrible explaining this.

Brush the outside of each parcel with egg glaze and leave in fridge until ready to bake, which is what I will do when my guests arrive.

Then all you have to do is bake in oven gas mark 6 for 20 - 25 minutes until golden.

feta souffle with red onion and artichoke coins

The richness of the feta souffle goes very well with the savoury artichokes and sauteed onions.

IF YOU DO DECIDE TO COOK THIS DISH make sure the Jerusalem artichokes and red onion are cooked a few minutes before the souffle is ready to come out of the oven.

The feta cheese souffle is an adapted recipe from Nadine Abensurs Cranks Fast Food. And the Red onion and artichoke coins is an recipe adapted by Catherine Mason Veg. Both books I strongly recommend.

Feta souffles
Serves 4
Ingredients
30g butter
30g plain flour
150ml milk
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
125g feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon of grated vegetarian Parmesan cheese for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4. Butter 4 ramekins.

Melt the butter in a small pan. Stir in the flour and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the milk. Return to low heat, whisking constantly until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and cheese.

Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then gently fold them into the warm sauce. Spoon into the ramekins, sprinkle over the grated Parmesan cheese and bake in a bain marie in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until well risen.

Sauteed Red onion and Jerusalem artichoke coins
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
4 small red onions
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of fennel seeds
400g Jerusalem artichoke, peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch coins
4 tablespoons of water
salt and pepper to taste

Peel the onions and cut them into quarters lengthways, leaving enough of the base to keep them connected. In a wide pan, warm the oil over medium heat and saute the onion quarters with the fennel seeds. After about 8 minutes, add the artichoke coins and continue cooking over high heat
until starting to brown.

Add 4 tablespoons of water and season. Bring it to a boil, put the lid on and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender, but not disintegrating. Do check after 15 minutes as you do not want the water from drying out. If this does happen add another tablespoon of water.

When the artichokes are tender remove the lid and add further seasoning if necessary. Serve.

Dip the artichoke pieces in the souffle.

Roasted artichokes, potatoes with lemon and coriander

As you know I dug a load of jerusalem artichokes from my plot this weekend, about 2kg. Now we have to eat them. I for one am not looking forward to the after effects. You know why? Flatulence!

Anyway, onto cooking - I remember watching Neneh and Andi Dish up were they made a Nigel Slater recipe that included lemons with jerusalem artichokes. I could not find the recipe. So I decided to experiment with the same combination, but with a few added extra ingredients. The result was actually quite good. I call it Roasted artichokes, potatoes with lemons and coriander.
Serves 2 - 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil
250g desiree or other roasting type of potato, peeled and cut into wedges
250g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and sliced length way in half
6 cloves of garlic, kept in its skin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 unwaxed lemon, sliced into rounds
40g black olives, pitted and cut in half
4 tablespoons of coriander, roughly chopped

Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 6

Put the potatoes in a large roasting oven dish with the olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.

Then add artichokes, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper and mix well. Return to the oven for 20 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the artichokes as they will disintegrate.

After 20 minutes, add the black olive halves, mix and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and stir in chopped coriander. Serve.

I don't know what would have been a good accompaniment with the dish, as we ate them as is. Not bad at all.