Crisp Sautéed Sunchokes; forgotten vegetables

I had a limited vegetable diet before I moved to this side of the pond: asparagus, beans, peas, corn, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, red & white kidney beans, rutabagas (a Norwegian thing)….

I ate pumpkin, of course, but only in pie.

Since I’ve lived here I’ve added summer squash of all types, winter squash of all types, turnips, parsnips, artichokes, chard, sunchokes, eggplant, green cabbage….

And there are still a few to try.

My weekly email of French recipes featured ‘forgotten vegetables’.

I’ve seen crosne but, to be honest, I didn’t know if it was animal or vegetable.They are also called Chinese Artichokes. Very weird little things, smaller than my little finger.

I’ve also seen cardoons. They were very popular in Spain and the spring cardoons were as eagerly anticipated as asparagus.

Chayote is another vegetable that I’ve seen but didn’t know if it was a fruit or a veg. (Veg).

The last forgotten vegetable was topinambour – Jerusalem artichokes or sunchokes.

I know that one…..

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Crisp Sautéed Sunchokes

Sunchokes are a very flexible vegetable, but this simple treatment brings out the best.

  • Author: Katie Zeller
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
  • Category: Vegetables

Ingredients

Scale
  • 34 (7oz, 210gr) Jerusalem artichokes aka sunchokes
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
  • sea salt, optional

Instructions

  • Scrub sunchokes with a vegetable brush under running water.
  • Slice 1/4″ (.5cm) thick.
  • Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
  • When hot add sunchokes slices and quickly sauté until golden brown and crisp-tender, 7 – 9 minutes.
  • Sprinkle with herbs and sea salt if using and serve.

Notes

Two tips: it’s not necessary to peel them, just scrub well; and they do tend to discolor so if not cooking immediately, put in a bowl and cover with lemon water or, if roasting or sautéing, coat with the olive oil.

Keywords: sunchokes, jerusalem artichokes

Sauteed Sunchokes

The midterms are over.

Yay. (Not YAY!!!!!!!, just yay)

The results could have been better.

The results could have been worse.

The future looks better.

I am relieved / content / optimistic / hopeful / (insert your favorite adjective)

4 thoughts on “Crisp Sautéed Sunchokes; forgotten vegetables”

  1. I dug all of my sunchoke plants up and tossed them this year. Between how overgrown they were and that they were taking over, I just couldn’t stand it anymore.

  2. During the sanction years in Rhodesia, we ate what was produced locally and I can remember tinned Jerusalem artichokes and tinned mulberries. The former were a stock item in our pantry alongside baked beans and sweetcorn but I relied on my Aunt for a supply of fresh mulberries which I froze because they had a short season. I grew my own sunchokes in South Africa – once you had them in the garden, you couldn’t get rid of them but they were very useful.

  3. I’ve never seen the plants or the seeds here so I have no idea if the ones I buy are local or not, I can’t imagine them tinned, but they were unheard of when I was a child, I had my share of tinned peas, beans and corn. Can’t abide the tinned versions now lol

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