Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
I left the countryside for the bright lights of London in my late teens and over the years I have seen many of the small local shops frequented by my grandmother close down due to the change in shopping habits. I rarely went to a supermarket as a young child, they were few and far between, we simply shopped at the local butchers, bakers and the farm shop. My grandmother never had a list, she simply took inspiration from the seasonal produce on offer and advice from shopkeepers as to what was not to be missed on any given day. Shopping like this was considered a normal part of our daily life. Our habits have changed so drastically over the years that this simple way of buying local and seasonal food is now seen as somewhat idyllic. Our over-reliance on imported unseasonal produce and the demand for ever cheaper meat and poultry continues unabated and supermarket price wars mean that a pint of milk costs less than a bottle of water.The changing landscape of our local communities is often seen as positive progression, but with the demise of local shops we lose more than a convenient place to buy necessities, we lose the hub of the community. Our local farm shop in Hurst Green was one such hub. My grandmother knew the owners well and liked nothing better than to be made a fuss off as she shopped. Everywhere you looked there baskets piled high with the freshest fruit and vegetables and other local produce. It was a hive of activity and always bustling with local customers, but sadly at some point after I moved to London, the shop re-located and was later sold.The other day I decided I wanted to make some soup and went out on the hunt for Jerusalem artichokes, which are at their best this time of year. I was driving by the old farm shop site and I noticed a new sign 'Eggs to Apples'. Naturally, I had to investigate. To my surprise and delight I discovered that the daughter of the original owners, Susannah and her husband Craig, had opened a fabulous new farm shop. As I wandered around, I was pleased to see that Eggs to Apples has the same abundance of beautifully fresh local produce, along with carefully selected artisan foods and has managed to retain all the wonderful charm of the original farm shop.While I was there Susannah informed me that some lovely organic Jerusalem artichokes had been delivered to Eggs to Apples that morning. Many people don't know what to do with these knobbly tubers, strangely they're not from Jerusalem and they're not even artichokes. They such a delicious winter treat, nutty with a slight earthiness. I often peel, parboil and then wrap them in bacon, roasting them until they caramelise as an accompaniment to a roast dinner. Jerusalem artichokes are actually quite versatile, they're lovely mashed with potato, added to a dauphinoise or even in a winter salad, but I especially love them in this velvety smooth soup.
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1kg Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cubed
- 350g leeks, white part only, washed and sliced
- 100g potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1.6 litres chicken or vegetable stock
- 100ml double cream
- salt & pepper
- olive oil to drizzle (optional)
- Melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat.
- Gently sweat all the vegetables for about 20 minutes until soft.
- Add the stock and bring to the boil then lower heat and simmer for around 30 minutes until the vegetables are all soft.
- Leave to cool slightly and then liquidise in a blender until smooth (you might need to do this in two batches).
- Return the soup to the pan and heat through gently before adding the cream.
- Season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.