Sunchoke & Roasted Garlic Soup

I got this recipe from my friend Ninja, who has been working this season at Vicki's Veggies but is a cook by training. We are always looking for new ways to use the veggies that we sell at the markets, and most people are not familiar with Sunchokes, so Ninja brought this recipe so people could have a way to prepare them, and also buy our potatoes and garlic :) 

The Jerusalem Artichoke is actually not related to an artichoke at all, nor does it have anything to do with The Holy Land. Actually, it is related to a sunflower and is we use its tuber as a root vegetable. I find it nutty in flavour, but some people find it is not dissimilar to the taste of an artichoke.

Remember when making soups that any measurements are just approximate, and you should just use your judgment and taste the soup as you go to adjust flavours to your personal taste. I used some garlic scapes that I has sitting around from the spring, and they worked really well in this soup. If you know what you are doing you can be playful with the flavours, and as you can see by my note below I used different herbs based on what I had around (adds "buy dried thyme" to to-do list).

Yield: 10 portions

• 2 lbs Sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes) roughly chopped
• 2 lbs potatoes roughly chopped
• 1/4 lb roasted garlic
• 1 tbs dried English thyme (I used marjoram and savoury)
• 2 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
• 4 bay leaves
• 3-4 litres of stock (depending how thick you want your soup to be
• Olive oil
• Splash of red wine or sherry vinegar

In a large soup pot over med-high heat add olive oil and sauté onions, stirring frequently, until soft and just starting to brown.

Add sunchokes and sauté , stirring frequently until everything is nicely caramelized. Dont forget to scrape all of the good bits off the bottom of the pan as you go. 

Add bay leaves, stock, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer over high heat, and skim of any foam that rises to the surface, then drop heat to low and simmer until everything is soft.

Add herbs and garlic and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and puree.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, and vinegar.

You can garnish the soup with some crisped up bacon or sunchokes.