Cream of artichoke soup

We had some jerusalem artichoke in our vegetable box. Trave does not really like artichokes and for my part, I have in my head the stigma from WW II transmitted to me by my grandparents, that jerusalem artichokes (topinambours) and swedes (rutabaga) are Ersatzt products which are consumed only in war times. Why would someone choose to eat these when there is an abundance of fresh new potatoes?

Jerusalem artichokes are very awkward to peel. I was not sure how they would taste: I expected them to taste half-way between potatoes and parsnips, but unsurprisingly, they taste like globe artichokes, which I have eaten a lot when I was a kid, as I grew up near Brittany, a region that grows a lot of globe artichokes. You would find them fresh on the market stalls, yummy with mayonnaise or bearnaise sauce!

In any case, both Trave and I enjoyed this soup. As I did not have quite enough jerusalem artichokes, I added potatoes and carrots to it, and it was delicious!

Serves 4:

400g Jerusalem artichokes
1 or 2 potato(es)
2 carrots
1 lemon, thickly sliced
1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion
1 litre vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1/4 ground nutmeg
150 ml single cream

1. Peel and slice all the vegetables and soak them in a bowl of water with the lemon slices.

2. Fry the onion in the olive oil for 3-5 min. Add the (drained!) vegetables and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the stock, bay leaves and nutmeg. Bring to the boil and cook for 25 minutes.

4. Discard the bay leaves and blend the soup in a food processor until smooth.

5. Return to a saucepan. Heat up then add the single cream. Heat without boiling. Serve into warmed bowls.