Right now is the high season for the weird knobbly little root called Jerusalem artichoke. In French we call it “Topinambour”, just because we can. My grandmother refuses to eat them as it was a staple during the war when everything else was too scarce. Now I have to buy them in Waitrose in tiny teeny packs. Go figure…
The root of the problem. Wikimedia Commons.
Jerusalem artichokes are super high in Inulin, a well-known prebiotic. So it has a lot of digestive and immune benefits. And just 20g grams give you your recommended amount of prebiotics for a day.
And it tastes good!
You can have them in a salad, just like in this nice recipe from ottolenghi
You can have them in a puree or a soup. They cook really fast, they taste a bit like sweet artichoke, and I don’t even bother to peel them. Wash, chop, boil, mix, done. And you feel like you’re in Masterchef.
My favourite way: roasted. Try this and you’ll never have carrot and parsnip in your Sunday roast ever again. Or at least they’ll be only in the vegetable supporting role. The recipe is very tricky, ready?
Wash, chop, salt, olive oil, roast.
40 minutes a 200 degrees and they become all caramelized outside and all soft inside. Jerusalem Artichokes, the Campfire Marshmallows of the vegetable world.
