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Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

From Athens Locally Grown

<p>Simple and tasty &#8212; If you want to sound fancier, call it &#8220;Sunchoke Soup.&#8221; &#8220;Sunchoke&#8221; is the marketing name for these root vegetables, which come from a sunflower-like plant that is native to eastern North America. Despite its name, the Jerusalem artichoke has no relation to Jerusalem, and it is not a type of artichoke, though when it is cooked like this, the taste is similar. (Note: Although the original recipe calls for peeling sunchokes, this can be tedious and I suspect peeling loses nutrients. I just scrub them thoroughly and cut them into equal-sized pieces so they will cook evenly.)</p>
Source: Adapted from www.simplyrecipes.com (Entered by Janice Matthews)
Serves: Serves 4.
Vegan!

Ingredients
2 T. unsalted butter or olive oil
1 cup peeled, chopped onion
2 pounds Jerusalem artichokes, cut in chunks
1 quart vegetable stock (pref.) or water
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
to taste salt and pepper

Step by Step Instructions
  1. Heat the butter or oil in a soup pot, and cook the onions (plus 2 stalks of celery, chopped, if desired) until soft but not brown (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and saute another minute. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.
  2. Add the Jerusalem artichokes and stock to the pot, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the artichokes begin to break down (usually 45 minutes to an hour).
  3. Puree the soup. (This is easiest with an immersion blender. If you use an upright blender, do it in batches, filling the canister only up to about 1/3 of its capacity and holding the lid, because hot soup tends to spew out the top of blenders! Alternatively, you also could push the soup through the finest grate on a food mill or push it through a sturdy sieve.) Finally, taste the soup and add more salt if desired. Pour into bowls, sprinkle with more freshly ground black pepper, and serve.