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Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves

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This Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves is a nutty, velvety soup that’s fall perfect.

 

Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves

Fall means soup season at our house.  Once October comes, many varieties of squashes appear at the farmers market but it’s the Jerusalem artichokes that I’m secretly waiting for.  Also known as sunchokes and sunroots, they’re the ugly duckling of root vegetables that are from the sunflower plant family with no relation to Jerusalem or taste anything like artichokes.  They taste similar to potatoes but have a sweeter and nuttier flavor. I love sunchokes thinly shaved and eaten raw in salad, roasted with other root vegetables, pureed with seafood, or transformed into a humbling soup.  This Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves is a nutty, velvety soup that’s perfect for fall.

Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves

Since they’re root vegetables, the best way to prepare them is to wash them well and use a sturdy brush to scrub away all the dirt under cold water.  If you can’t find organic sunchokes, peel and discard the skin. Sunchokes oxidize quickly so adding the chopped sunchokes in a bowl of water with lemon juice will help prevent them from discoloring.

Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves

It doesn’t take long to prep and in less than an hour you’ll have a delicious pot of soup ready for dinner.  The caramelized leeks, shallots, and garlic add a beautiful taste to the mellow and almost nutty flavor of sunchoke.  To build on texture and flavor of this soup, I love adding a drizzle of truffle oil and fried sage leaves. It can be served as a starter for 8 or a main for 4 paired with toasted sourdough and a crisp salad.  This Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves would be the perfect opener for your next dinner party or Thanksgiving meal.

Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves

If you like soups, check out these recipes: roasted kabocha squash soup, roasted romanesco soup, roasted red kuri squash soup.

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5 from 2 votes
Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves
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Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 

This Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves is a nutty, velvety soup that’s perfect for fall.

Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound organic Jerusalem artichokes
  • 2 tbsps freshly lemon juice
  • 1 organic leek, pale part only, sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 cups organic vegetable stock
  • 1/2 cup organic heavy cream
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
Fried Sage Leaves
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup sage leaves
  • 2 tbsps truffle oil for serving
Instructions

  1. Scrub the sunchokes well and clean off all the dirt. Thinly slice them into 1/4 inch pieces.  

  2. Place the sliced sunchoke pieces in a bowl of cold water with lemon juice until ready.

  3. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, leeks, and shallots and cook for 5 minutes until they start to soften.

  4. Add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes until they start to caramelize but not brown.

  5. Add the drained sunchoke and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Let it simmer and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  6. Use a hand blender or food processor and puree until the soup is smooth. Check the soup for desirable consistency. It shouldn’t be too watery or thick. Cook a few extra minutes to evaporate liquid or add a splash of water to thin it.  

  7. Stir in the cream and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. 

  8. Remove the soup from heat and prepare the fried sage leaves.

  9. In a small saute pan of medium heat, add olive oil and add the sage leaves. Let them cook for about 1 minute. Drain them on paper towel and set aside.

  10. When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently, ladle the soup into serving bowls, top with fried sage leaves, and drizzle with truffle oil.

Dairy free roasted kabocha squash soup

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A few weeks ago I caught a bad cold, or so I thought. It started with a sore throat and progressed to complete exhaustion, nausea, and vomiting. I knew something was wrong when I could barely move or eat. My husband drove me to urgent care and I was diagnosed with Strep throat. I had to take time off from work, was put on antibiotic, and quarantined myself. The first three days were the worst. I felt like there were pins poking at my throat everytime I tried to talk or eat. My mom’s kabocha soup came to the rescue.

 

Made with roasted kabocha squash, scented with lemongrass and ginger, and enriched by coconut milk, my mom’s soup was the perfect antidote to my sore throat. Her kabocha squash soup is one of my favorites not only for those times I’m feeling under the weather but for those chilly, autumn and winter days.  


Roasted kabocha squash soup

1 2-lb kabocha squash, quartered
2 tbsps olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 knob of ginger, peeled and crushed
1 stalk of lemongrass, cut into 2 inches, crushed
1 can of 14 oz coconut creme
1 cup of water
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
Micogreen for serving
Freshly ground pepper for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. To prepare the squash, scoop out the seeds and remove as much of the soft, sticky pulp as possible. Brush the squash pieces with olive oil, place cut side down on a roasting tray, and roast in the oven for 60 minutes, turning halfway through.

3. Remove the squash from the oven, remove the skin with a knife, and chop the squash into chunks.  Reserve 1/2 a cup of squash chunks for serving.

4. Heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the ginger and lemongrass.

5. Add in the coconut milk and water and bring to a boil.

6. Add in the squash and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

7. Remove the ginger and lemongrass pieces and set aside.

8. Use a handheld blender and puree to a smooth consistency. Add back the ginger and lemongrass.

9. Season with fish sauce and sugar and let it simmer on low heat for another 15 minutes.

10. Ladle soup into serving bowls, top with squash chunks, microgreens and freshly ground pepper, and serve immediately.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

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We finally experienced fall weather a few weeks ago.  The cool, crisp morning air was refreshing after the relentless heat made its exit.  And we even had a few days of rain.  The cold, rainy weather made me crave for a bowl of hot, steaming soup.  One of my favorite soups is roasted butternut squash, which is abundant during fall.  
Butternut squash is perfect for soup due to its sweeter and nutty taste compared to the larger pumpkins.   
I was excited to try the recipe from “Seasons” by Donna Hay. 
The soup tasted sweet and satisfying.  The taste of butternut squash unadulterated.      
A cup of comfort in my hands.  Perfect for the cold weather.  I couldn’t be happier.    
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (adapted from Donna Hay Seasons)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 (2-lb) butternut squash (should yield 3 cups of cooked butternut squash)
2 cups chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp honey
Sea salt and cracked pepper
2-3 sprigs of thyme
creme fraiche (optional)
Toasted bread slices to serve (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2. Cut butternut squash in quarters and drizzle with olive oil.  Add a few sprigs of thyme and sprinkle salt and pepper on the squash quarters.
3. Roast for 50-60 minutes or until squash is tender and cooked.  Use a spoon and scoop the cooked squash into a food processor.
4. Add the chicken stock to the food processor and blend until smooth.  Strain the squash through a sieve to get a smooth squash puree.
5. Place puree and heavy crème in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to simmer for 3 minutes until mixture is thickened.  Stir in the honey.
7. Ladle soup into bowl and top with creme fraiche and pepper.
8. Serve with a slice of toast.

Roasted Romanesco Soup with Prosciutto

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The first time I laid eye on a romanesco was at the Little Italy Mercato.  Captivated by its beauty, I started snapping pictures after pictures.  Then everyone started to crowd around too, mesmerized by its unusual yet beautiful form.  My curiosity peaked.  What is this vegetable?  The vendor came over and explained that a romanesco is a broccoli that resembles a cauliflower.  Eh?  Although it’s called a romanesco broccoli, it tastes similar to a cauliflower, but slightly nutty. 
What is truly unique about the romanesco is its fractal nature where each bud is composed of a series of smaller buds arranged in a logarithmic spiral.  The best explanation for its fractal nature can be found here.  I decided to buy a few and experiment with these stunning vegetables.  I threw together a soup using my recipe for cauliflower soup.  

 

The taste of romanesco was very subtle, but the prosciutto added a pleasant saltiness to the soup.  I loved the beautiful light pastel green that the romanesco had maintained despite being roasted and pureed.      
 

 

A simple soup yet satisfying.  Even Vu liked it and he’s not a soup fan.  Between you and me, it’s probably the prosciutto that he really likes. 

 

Roasted Romanesco Soup with Prosciutto
2 heads of romanesco, cut into florets, washed and rinsed
1 small brown onion, chopped
3 tbsps olive oil
2 cups of chicken stock
½ cup of heavy cream
1 tbsp of sugar
4 pieces of prosciutto
Salt and pepper to taste
Romanesco florets for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.  Place the romanesco florets in a roasting tray, drizzle with 2 tbsps of olive oil, and roast for 30 minutes.
2. Place the prosciutto in a separate roasting pan and roast for 10-15 minutes, or until crispy.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan.  Add the chopped onions and saute at medium heat until soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the romanesco and chicken stock and cook until tender about 15-20 minutes.
5. Place the romanesco mixture in a food processor and process until smooth.
6. Return the romanesco puree to the saucepan, stir in the cream, and simmer for another 5 minutes.
7. Add sugar and salt to taste.
8. When ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls, add prosciutto and pepper.  Garnish with a few romanesco florets.

Roasted Red Kuri Squash Soup and Tart

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The weather has been a bit cold lately.  When it becomes chilly, I long for warm soup.  Warm and comforting.  I found two red kuri squashes hidden in the back of my fridge.  Long forgotten from my farmer’s market trip back in December. Red kuri squash looks similar to a small pumpkin.  It has thick orange skin but lacks defined ridges.  The taste is a marriage between butternut squash and sweet potato.   I like roasting the kuri squash with a bit of butter until it caramelizes to get the sweet and starchy flavor and it is not a struggle removing the flesh from the skin.  
 


Two kuri squashes would yield too much soup so I decided to use the second one for a tart.  I have never made a tart from scratch and decided to adapt the recipe for tart dough from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.  It was a workout rolling the dough.  It took me hours to finally create a piece of dough that fitted my tart pan.  I had to roll out 4 smaller rectangles of dough and pieced them together.  The next few days, my forearms remained sore, like I had played tennis for the first time in months. I could barely hold my toothbrush.  I decided to be adventurous and added mascarpone cheese to my tart recipe.   All my hard work was paid off handsomely.  

The soup was light, delicious, and comforting.  Perfect for a cold, chilly afternoon.  I slurped up the bowl of soup while wrapped up in a thick blanket.  


Then I moved onto the tart. 


It reminded me of pumpkin pie but tasted more nutty with a mousse like consistency, probably the doing of the mascarpone cheese.  What a satisfying meal!  This was my first time cooking with red kuri squash and I cannot wait to try it in future recipes.   
 

 

Red Kuri Squash Puree
2 1-1.5 lbs kuri squashes
3 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
1. Cut the kuri squashes into quarters and scoop out the seeds.
2. Place the squash pieces, cut-side up onto a baking tray.  Drizzle with butter and bake for 45-60 minutes at 400˚F or until the squash is soft and starts to brown.
3. Remove the flesh from the skin and add to the blender and blend until smooth
 
Roasted Red Kuri Squash Soup
2 ½ cups of kuri squash puree
½ cup white onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
2 oz of pancetta
Sour cream and pepper, to serve
 
1. In a sauce pan, add the butter and sautee the onion on medium heat until golden brown.      
2. Add the sautéed onion and squash puree to a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Return the blended squash and onion to the saucepan.  Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
4. Add heavy cream and sugar and continue stirring.  Let it simmer gently to let the flavors meld, about 15 minutes.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper.   Keep warm until ready to serve. 
6. Place the pancetta pieces in the oven until the meat becomes just crunchy.  Cut the roasted pancetta into small pieces.
7. Ladle the soup into serving bowls.  Add a few pieces of pancetta to the soup.  Garnish with a tablespoon of sour cream and pepper.



 

Roasted Red Kuri Squash Tart
 

Crust:

6 tbsp butter, cubed and room temperature

½ cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

Pinch of salt
 
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the powdered sugar and butter together until creamy.
3. Add egg yolks and mix until well incorporated.
4. Add ¾ cup of flour and mix on low speed until combined.  Add the remaining ¾ cup of flour and salt and beat until the flour is combined.
5. Turn the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a flattened disk.  Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.   The dough can be frozen up to a month.
6. On a lightly floured piece of parchment paper, roll out the dough to a 16 by 7-inch rectangle.  Fit the dough into a 14 by 4.5-inch tart pan and press it into the edges.  Trim the overhang and discard.  Put the tart pan into the freezer for 15 minutes.
7. Remove the tart pan from the freezer and place a piece of parchment paper over the dough and fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake until the edges are just beginning to turn golden, 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove parchment and weights.  Return crust to the oven and continue baking until light golden all over, another 15-20 minutes.  Cool completely on a wire rack.
 

Filling:

8 oz mascarpone cheese
1 ½ cup roasted kuri squash puree
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
Whipping cream for garnish
 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat mascarpone cheese until smooth. Add kuri squash puree, egg, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.
3. Pour into crust.  Spread out evenly and place oven for 45-60 minutes until the surface starts to crack.
4. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes.  Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.