At my advanced age I have only just discovered that “sunchoke” is another name for the Jerusalem artichoke, and it is the tuber of a type of sunflower. I’d always been slightly suspicious of this vegetable, given its unfortunate reputation and unprepossessing appearance. However, this recipe from Denis Cotter’s sublime Wild Garlic, Gooseberries…and Me is officially delicious. My partner has already sung the praises of his book on her own blog.
I would advise making an additional quantity of the broth, as it’s very tasty just on its own. It’s also worth making extra roast sunchokes because you’ll probably find it impossible not to eat the tasty little fellas while you’re making the risotto. They’re not unlike roast potatoes, but are apparently much lower in carbohydrates.
Heaven on a plate, and perfect for the vegetarian in your life. I admit the recipe is a little fiddly and is probably best made at the weekend, but it’s well worth the effort.
Serves 4
FOR THE LEMON-THYME OIL
200ml olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme
FOR THE RISOTTO
1kg sunchokes, washed and peeled
olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
850ml vegetable stock
320g carnaroli or arborio rice
120ml white wine
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
60g butter
60g hard cheese, such as Parmesan or a mature goat’s or sheep’s cheese
salt and pepper
Preheat the over to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 5. To make the lemon-thyme oil, combine the olive oil, lemon zest and juice and thyme in a jug or jar. Shake well or blend and set aside.
Take 500g of the sunchokes and slice them. Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan , add in two of the onions and cook gently for 7-10 minutes until they become translucent. Add 2 cloves of the garlic and the 500g of sliced sunchokes. Stew for 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring it to the boil, then lower the heat, cover with the pan lid and simmer for 20 minutes or so until the sunchokes are soft. Remove the pan from the heat and blend the mixture to a fine puree, then pass this through a sieve to get a thinnish broth. You will need about 1.2 litres, so add more stock or water now if necessary. Put this broth back in the pan and keep it warm.
Chop the remaining sunchokes into pieces about 2cm long. Toss them lightly in olive oil on an oven tray and roast them for about 10-12 minutes until just tender and lightly coloured.
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the reamining onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Add the rice and toast it over a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the white wine, bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring until it has been absorbed. Now add in a ladle or two of the hot sunbhoke broth. Let this simmer until it is absorbed, stirring often, then add more broth. Continue in this way until the rice is just tender and almost dry. It will take about 20 minutes. Now added the roasted sunchokes, chives, butter and half of the cheese. Season well.
Serve immediately on warm plates, and pour a little of the lemon-thyme oil around each risotto.
Enjoy!
