Jerusalem Artichoke and Sweet Potato Soup

So, Canberra thought Autumn was totally over-rated and jumped straight to Winter temperatures. It does this every year. Luckily the one reminder of Autumn are the leaf colours. How beautiful. I can’t help but get out there and photograph it.

So I was at the markets on Saturday and rocked up to this stall, and asked about the price of the lovely looking ginger down the end and the guy politely said…’oh they aren’t ginger honey, they are Jerusalem artichokes’. He thought I was an even bigger idiot when I let out this tiny little half-embarrassed half-totally-excited gasp and said, ‘Oh man, I’ll take a bag of those.’ This is just a little warning to make sure you can spot the difference between Jerusalem artichokes and ginger from a distance and if you can’t, at least think of a better comeback than I did. So, three bucks a for a family-sized bag of Jerusalem artichokes – organic ones too! Screw finding the ginger, this was too good an opportunity to pass up.

 With the temperatures the way they are at the moment, I inevitably went to making my first blogged soup! I made a few versions the first time and consequently went back the following week and purchased more for a revisit and revise. Poor D and Raff….

So. Much. Soup.

But I have to admit – if I do say so myself – this soup is so so great. And worth the pre-roasting. If you are lucky enough to come across Jerusalem artichokes, I recommend giving this one a go – alternatively if you can’t find them and you still want to make this soup I think you could happily use parsnips instead. Or maybe just try this, or even this!

Jerusalem Artichoke and Sweet Potato Soup

300gm Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed and cubed

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 500gm)

5-6 sprigs fresh thyme

4 cloves garlic, skins removed

1 medium onion, roughly chopped into wedges

2 kifler potatoes (only if you can get them, otherwise just use any sort), peeled and diced

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium leek, sliced

3 1/2 cups vegetable stock

salt

marscapone cheese for serving

Combine garlic, sweet potato, Jerusalem artichokes, thyme, onion, a few pinches of salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl. Spread on a roasting dish and cook for 45 minutes at 180°C or until soft but not brown.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the leek and potatoes for 4 minutes or until the leek has softened. Add the stock and the roasted vegetables, bring to the boil and return to simmer for ten minutes or until the potato is cooked through.

Remove from the heat. Puree and serve with a generous dollop of marscapone cheese or natural yoghurt.