Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with parsnips

What alchemy happens when you cook a Jerusalem artichoke? How can something so ugly, gnarled and knobbly transform into such a silky and luxurious soup?

It is such a shame that it seems impossible to find these tasty tubers in supermarkets these days - I wonder why?

They are so easy to grow, incredibly tasty and cheap.  Perhaps their unconventional looks or lack of uniformity doesn't suit being plastic-wrapped into neat little trays. Perhaps they can't compete for our attention with pretty rainbow carrots or purple potatoes. 

Or could it be that their windy side-effects are just a bit embarrassing, (they are affectionately known as Jerusalem fartichokes in our house...!)?

Do seek them out - at farmers' markets, greengrocers, from allotment-keepers, or grow your own.  This silky soup is worth it - the nutty artichokes, sweet parsnips, roasted garlic and thyme turn into a bowlful of autumnal loveliness.

The magic happens in the baking tray here, with all the ingredients roasted together until soft and sweet. They are then tipped into a saucepan at the last minute to finish cooking, and blitzed. 

📝 What you need

Ingredients

Jerusalem artichokes obviously! They are in season from November through to January so a real winter veg. They aren't easy to find in supermarkets but are really easy to grow, or look out for them at your local Farmers' Market.

Parsnips Their sweetness, especially when roasted, works really well in this silky soup. If you don't have any handy, floury potatoes or any other root veg will work well too.

Garlic Don't be concerned by the inclusion of three garlic cloves between four people! When slow-roasted in the oven garlic turns mellow and soft, with all of the flavour and sweetness but none of the death-breath.

Dairy-free milk  I used hazelnut milk which was a really lovely flavour with the root veg, but any plant milk will be fine. Unsweetened is best as the soup has quite a bit of sweetness already.

Vegetable stock A good-quality vegetable bouillon powder is idea, but a stock cube is also fine. Check the ingredients before you buy as some are not vegan.

Equipment

There’s no fancy equipment needed to make soup, of course, though to get a lovely velvet-smooth texture you do need a way of part-blending it.

I use a stick blender which is so quick and easy as you just shove it in the saucepan, blitz for a minute or two and you’re done. They are reasonably priced, you can pick up a basic model like this one* for just over £10 these days, and if you make a lot of homemade soup you won’t regret it.

Mine is this Dualit model* which also has a chopping bowl and whisk, both of which I use a lot.

Alternatively, if you have a blender or food processor you can tip the whole lot in, blitz and return to the saucepan.

❄️ Freezing your soup

Regular readers will know I have a fridge stacked high with soup, and this one is no exception. Freeze in individual portions then simply cook from frozen in the microwave or saucepan for a steaming lunch in under 5 minutes. Delicious!

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