Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

[Flummery]

I love them in soup and also added to potatoes for mashing. The mixed mash is heavenly.

PS if you don't fart your heart will explode. Or did I dream that?

[smallblueplanet]

...

PS if you don't fart your heart will explode. Or did I dream that?

You have some weird dreams!

[Flummery]

Must be all the artichokes! (And cheese!)

[wellie]

OK, bear with me. I do have the Artichoke and Red Onion recipe, and also the Artichoke Gratin I did last night was fab, so recipe for that too.
I'll post them over the weekend peeps, I promise.

Incidentally, Trousers asked me if I had huge windy probs today after last night's supper, as he did. And I wasn't just being a typical polite girl, I don't suffer hugely with them. So I came to the conclusion that it's yet another example of Women 'Multi-tasking' - far too much to do to have time to fart IN ADDITION to everything else I'm doing?!

9.5kg harvest from one plant! Still can't believe it!.....

[TonyF]

JAs, farting and exploding hearts

PS if you don't fart your heart will explode. Or did I dream that?

I think this is an old East London tale. There is a story that John Bunyan died after a huge meal at which he wanted to fart but decorum (not something noted too often here tho) prevented him from doing so and it caused him some sort of heart failure.

It is also part of the story that on his tombstone it says:

Where e're you be
Let the wind go free
Because want of a fart (or holding it back, delete as necessary)
Was the death of me.

Never been to look at the tomb, so can't confirm or deny but as my old Nan told me the story it must be true

[Flummery]

So now I'm HeyWayne's virtual Mum and TonyF's Old Nan! I wonder what other virtual family I have out there?

[pigletwillie]

As Heywayne is my brother, your my virtual mother too.

[Flummery]

Come to Mummy...

[pigletwillie]

At last, no longer an orphan am I, Yipeeeeeeee.

[matthew2riches]

sounds good. growing your own produce is sooooooo much more satisfying than going to Tesco and picking up something and putting it in your trolley.

i hope to be able to make lots of nice dishes next year when the allotment kicks back into order.

[TonyF]

Of course you're not my old Nan Flummers, she's been in the compost heap since 1978.

[wellie]

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE & RED ONION SAUTE

taken from Catherine Mason's VEG cookbook

4 small red onions
7g butter
1 tblsp. olive oil
piece of fresh ginger
2 tsps fennel seeds (for less explosions...!)
450g JA's, sliced into 5mm rounds
3 or 4 tblsps. veg stock
S & P

Peel the onions and cut them into quarters lengthwise, leaving enough of the base to keep them connected. In a wide shallow pan, melt the butter, along with the olive oil, over a medium heat and saute the onion quarters, ginger and fennel seeds. After about 7 mins, add the artichoke slices and continue cooking over a moderate to high heat for a few mins more until the veg are slightly browned.

Add the veg stock and about half a teasp of salt, bring it up to the boil, put a lid on the pan and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally for about 25 mins until the veg are tender but not disintegrating. Add more liquid if needed to stop it drying out.

When the artichokes are tender, taste and adjust the seasoning.

THIS IS DELICIOUS !

[wellie]

Jerusalem Artichoke Gratin

And this one I made with Sheep Cheese (as I had no Emmy)
The recipe comes from my Aga Four Season cookbook

450g Jerusalem artichokes
300ml milk
25g butter
25g flour
S & P
grated nutmeg
100g Emmental Cheese, grated

Place the JAs in an ovenproof casserole with about an inch of water and a pinch of salt. Cover and bring to the boil. Drain off the water and place the covered pan in the simmering oven (ordinary ovens, medium temp) for about 30 mins, until the JAs are tender. Butter an ovenproof dish. Slice the artichokes and put in the dish.

Make the sauce by placing the butter, flour and milk into a saucepan and whisk until boiling. (then whisk rapidly, still boiling to cook out the flour, or the gratin with taste yukky-floury). When the sauce has thickened and is smooth, season with pepper and nutmeg. Stir in half the cheese and pour the sauce over the artichokes. Sprinkle on the remainder and bake on the second set of runners from the top of the roasting oven (ordinary ovens, hot-ish) for about 10 mins, until bubbling and gordon brown.

Tis scrumptious this!

[wellie]

Fartichoke and Almond Rosti

This one I've just found in Cooking Outside The Box by Keith Abel

Serves 4:
1 mug Jerusalem artichokes (when peeled and grated)
half mug of flaked almonds (or any nuts)
2 tsp freshly chopped rosemary
Dried chilli flakes, optional
Juice of half a lemon
half mug of flour
S & P
Olive Oil

Squeeze out any excess moisture from the grated fartichokes with your hands and place in a bowl. Mix in the almonds, rosemary, chilli flakes, lemon juice, flour and seasoning. Divide into four equal parts, gently moulding each one into a thick cake.

Pour a good glug of olive oil into a pan and heat gently. Place the cakes in the pan and slightly flatten each one with a spatula. Gently fry, turning once, until gordon brown on both sides and cooked in the centre.

Not made this recipe yet, but deffo will be, as they sound GORGEOUS!

[Flummery]

Of course you're not my old Nan Flummers, she's been in the compost heap since 1978.

I sometimes have a considerable quantity of that under my nails Tony! (I do scrub it off before entering the kitchen I hasten to add!)