This Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves is a nutty, velvety soup that’s fall perfect.
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.
How to Prep Jerusalem Artichokes
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.
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.
If you like soups, check out these recipes: roasted kabocha squash soup, roasted romanesco soup, roasted red kuri squash soup.
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Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil and fried sage leaves
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
- ½ cup organic heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Fried Sage Leaves
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup sage leaves
- 2 tbsps truffle oil for serving
Instructions
- Scrub the sunchokes well and clean off all the dirt. Thinly slice them into ¼ inch pieces.
- Place the sliced sunchoke pieces in a bowl of cold water with lemon juice until ready.
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, leeks, and shallots and cook for 5 minutes until they start to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes until they start to caramelize but not brown.
- Add the drained sunchoke and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Let it simmer and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 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.
- Stir in the cream and season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Remove the soup from heat and prepare the fried sage leaves.
- 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.
- When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently, ladle the soup into serving bowls, top with fried sage leaves, and drizzle with truffle oil.
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