A recent trip to Israel provided me endless inspiration in the kitchen. I had an incredible time exploring the country, dining with friends and learning some amazing new recipes. It’s particularly fitting that the first recipe I’m sharing from my trip is Jerusalem Artichoke Soup – especially since I learned the recipe just a hop, skip and a jump from Jerusalem!
On our trip we had dinner with our good friends Ido Aharoni and his wife, Julie Goodman Aharoni. For many years, Ido was the Consulate General of Israel in New York. He recently moved on from his ambassador post and has settled in a beautiful community just outside of Jerusalem. My husband and I had the pleasure of enjoying a home-cooked meal prepared by Julie and their lovely daughter, Sharon. They prepared some amazing falafel and they gave me a gift of a falafel scoop– can you believe I’ve never used one before? I’ve always just rolled them with wet hands the old fashioned way. Gadgets are fun!
To start the meal, Julie and Sharon brought out the most delicious Jerusalem Artichoke soup. The flavor was so unique that I knew I had to share it with you. Julie generously sent me the recipe, which is deceptively simple but delivers a rich and complex flavor.
Our friends Ido and Julie Goodman Aharoni
Despite their name, Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes, have no connection to Jerusalem or to artichokes. These oddly-shaped tubers have a slight resemblance to fresh ginger and are actually a relative of sunflowers. Native to North America, Jerusalem artichokes were a staple in Native American gardens. In the early 1600’s French explorer Samuel de Champlain stumbled upon them in one of these gardens; when he tasted them, he noticed they had a similar flavor to artichokes.
Later, when they arrived in France, Parisian street vendors began calling them topinambours, French for tubers. Sometime before 1633 they arrived in Italy, where they were known as girasole, which translates to “turning toward the sun.” It is believed that the word girasole eventually evolved into “Jerusalem,” resulting in the name Jerusalem artichoke.
Throughout history these tasty little tubers have experienced times of popularity and decline. During the early 1600s in France, they were favored over potatoes until a strange rumor declared that were a cause of leprosy, possibly due to the texture of their outer skin resembling the effects of the disease. They were often turned to for sustenance during times of famine. Explorers Lewis and Clark ate them during their expeditions.
Julie finishes this soup with a garnish of chopped chestnuts and truffle oil, which is just lovely. I think chopped pistachios and a drizzle of chili-infused oil would also work well. Or forego the garnish, if you wish– it’s nice all on its own, too.
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Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Jerusalem artichokes (also known as sunchokes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 whole onion, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock (if not vegan or vegetarian, you may substitute chicken stock)
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- Salt and black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne
- Chopped chestnuts or chopped pistachios for garnish (optional)
- Flavored oil for garnish (optional - my friend Julie uses truffle oil)
NOTES
Instructions
- Peel the Jerusalem artichokes, then chop them into quarter-sized pieces. In a soup pot, heat up olive oil over medium heat. Saute minced onion until soft. Add the garlic and saute for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the chopped Jerusalem artichokes to the pot and cover with vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let the artichokes cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and tender.
- Stir in the coconut milk and bring back to a low simmer. Stir in a pinch of cayenne, salt and pepper to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper).
- Remove soup from heat. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.
- Garnish with chopped chestnuts or pistachios and a drizzle of truffle oil, if desired.
Nutrition
So annoying, I have 1.5 lbs. Of jer artichokes. Can I sub the other half pound with another vegie like potato or cauliflower? ( No more in store)
Cauliflower should work great!
I can’t find fresh Jerusalem artichokes but heard they sell them frozen here. Would that work and if so, would everything else in the recipe be the same?
Yes, and yes. I’ve never seen them frozen in the US, but if you can find them my guess is they are probably peeled already, so you can skip the peeling step.
This soup is amazing! I took the suggestion to add a drizzle of truffle oil. Love!
I’m looking forward to trying this delicious looking soup. Could this recipe be made ahead and frozen? If gently re-heated would it be creamy?
Hi Tori-
Is it essential to peel the sunchokes for this recipe?
Love your blog!
Hi Marni! You don’t have to, the skin is edible, but it might make the soup less creamy-colored. I haven’t tried it myself, but I would guess that the appearance might be slightly “dirty.” But it shouldn’t hurt the flavor or the texture, since it’s a puree.
Great recipe. Really delicious. Thank you. But I never peel artichokes and they were fine as they were.
Hi Tori,
I am in Delray beach, Fl.
Where may I purchase the Jerusalam artichoke
Stuart
Thanks
Hi Stuart, Tori’s assistant Ashley here! I would call around to some kosher markets to see if they have any available. Hope this helps!
I was hoping the recipe might include peeling tricks….:-)…. Yes, they peel easily, but what do you do about all the bumps–do you just remove them when peeling? I always feel I will be losing a lot of the vegetable if I don’t follow all the hills and valleys when I peel. This is a relatively expensive vegetable here in Israel and I hate to toss so much of it…..
Janet in Jerusalem
Could frozen artichoke hearts be substituted for Jerusalem artichokes?
If one uses Silk Coconut Milk in place of canned. Would you know how I could do the substitution. I think the taste would not be that intense nor that thick.
Thank you 0-)
Hi, Tori’s assistant Ashley here! Jerusalem artichokes are actually not related to the artichoke, so they wouldn’t work well in this recipe. They are more like a potato, though much softer. I would not recommend using Silk Coconut milk in this recipe, as it isn’t thick enough to achieve the desired consistency.
hi tori
i love sunchokes but i don’t peel them, i just usually scrub them thoroughly and eat them raw.
do you have any suggestions for an easy way to peel them for this recipe?
Hi Marti- they are very easy to peel, just use a potato peeler and peel them as you would potatoes. Hope that helps!
I read recently that Jerusalem artichokes are high in potassium, iron, and even protein, and can help lower blood cholesterol, so I was looking for some recipes…that look delicious. (Mashed, even with lots of butter, didn’t cut it.) Will give this a try. P.S. Love your blog.
Thanks Sara! You will like this recipe, it’s very special.