Sunchoke Soup & Bleu Cheese Arugula Salad

I searched all over town for Sunchokes today. I called Earth Fare and went to the Daily Co-op, but could not find anything! So, instead I planned to make Artichoke Soup, but when I went to Kroger (of all places) lo and behold... I spotted Sunchokes! Beaming, I went with my original recipe, and had such a lovely dinner with my friend Joshua, my guest of honor. And If I do say so myself.... it was not too shabby for my first attempt.

I must admit, I had never had a Sunchoke until a couple of weeks ago when I was working at the Fourcoursemen. Their Sunchoke soup was soooo good, I wanted to make my own! A Sunchoke (also called a Jerusalem Artichoke) is a root vegetable -- a species of Sunflower native to North America. They look pretty rugged, but they taste so earthy, sweet, and rich. Their relatively one-dimensional taste goes perfectly with other contrasting flavors, which is why I had so much fun adding different garnishes.

Along with the Sunchoke Soup, I decided to make an Arugula Salad with crumbled Bleu Cheese and Radishes with a smooth Lemon Vinaigrette (*why is that word so damn hard to spell?). I toasted a delicious Luna Sourdough baguette to dunk into the soup. Yuuuum!

Sunchoke Soup Recipe:

1 pound of sunchokes scrubbed and cut into 1/2 thick slices
1 shallot chopped
1 red-skinned potato
2 heads of whole garlic
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 table spoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon diced ham
1 table spoon pesto
+ salt & pepper for taste

In a baking sheet arrange the chopped Sunchokes, Shallots, Potatoes and whole Garlic. Drizzle Olive Oil over the cut vegetables and set the oven for 375 degrees. Roast for 35-45 minutes until the vegetables are soft and cooked through. Add the contents to a blender and purree (add 2 cups of vegetable stock to assist the consistency). Add pureed vegetables to a soup-pan and simmer for 3 minutes. Add 2 more cups of vegetable stock, 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of butter. Garnish with crispy bits of ham, 1 table spoon of pesto, and drizzled Olive Oil. Add salt and pepper to taste!

Arugula Lemon Vinaigrette

1/2 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon shallots, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette
--salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
Add Bleu Cheese and Radishes onto Arugula.



Roasted vegetables straight out of the oven.
The puree (it took about 5 minutes to get it milky smooth)