I made this soup earlier in the week and immediately wanted to cook it for everyone I know. It came about because I had a bag of Jerusalem artichokes in the fridge and knew I wanted soup, but I wasn’t in the mood to take them in the direction of the rich and creamy (even though they’re great for that). Instead, I thought about one of my favourite Meera Sodha recipes, for smashed Jerusalem artichokes with butter, pepper, and garlic, and wondered if those flavours might work in a soup. They… really do.
This is a fragrant, fresh, gently spiced soup made with Jerusalem artichokes and a handful of spinach. There’s cumin to warm everything up, lemon to bring it alive, and a big, fresh base of spring onions, ginger, and garlic – all in medicinal quantities. On top, you sprinkle what I’m unforgivably calling masala croutons – just some roughly chopped stale bread that you’ve crisped in oil and dusted with garam masala and turmeric before adding spring onion and lemon zest off the heat. (Like me, you may find it hard to read the words Masala Crouton without hearing the voice of Steven Toast.)
Take 500g of Jerusalem artichokes and scrub them vigorously under running water to remove any dirt. You can peel them if you have to but if you can avoid it, do! Chop them into roughly equal chunks, about the size of a conker.
Heat a heavy-bottomed pan (I used my Dutch oven) over a medium heat. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil and 50g of butter. When the butter is sizzling, add your Jerusalem artichokes and some salt and pepper, stir once, and then leave them to crisp up a little on the bottom. Keep an eye so they don’t burn, but what you’re looking to do here is to let them develop delicious caramelised edges.
While they crisp up, prep the rest of the base. Slice a bunch of spring onions, reserving about three tablespoons of the green tops. Chop a generous amount of ginger – two thumbs’ worth is fine by me. Slice six or seven cloves of garlic. Deseed and slice a thin green chilli, if you have one. Take a look at your Jerusalem artichokes: do they need a stir?
When you’re done chopping and your Jerusalem artichokes are crisped and browning at the edges, add two teaspoons of cumin seed to the pan and let them toast with the artichokes for a minute before adding your spring onion, garlic, ginger, and chilli. Stir until everything is fragrant (give it about two minutes), and then add vegetable stock to cover. (I toss in a stock gel and stir it through everything before adding boiling water from the kettle, but I am lazy and incorrigible.)
Now leave the soup to simmer until you can easily crush one of the bigger artichoke chunks against the side of the pan with your wooden spoon. In the meantime, let’s meet renowned actor Masala Crouton.
Heat a small frying pan over a medium-high heat and add some stale bread that you’ve roughly chopped – the size of your croutons is a very personal decision but mine were small and not a million miles away from a crispy breadcrumb. Use however much bread you have; I used about a slice and a half of leftover sourdough. Stir to coat in the oil and keep them moving as they crisp up. When they’re getting crispy, give them a half a teaspoon of turmeric and a teaspoon of garam masala, as well as a generous pinch of salt and a twist of black pepper. Stir and stir so they get covered in the spice mix as they crisp up. They’re ready when they’re crispy, fragrant, and you eat one out of the pan and make an unseemly noise. Take them off the heat and stir through the reserved spring onion greens and the zest of a whole lemon.
By this time, your soup is probably nearly ready to blend – it shouldn’t have needed to simmer for more than about 15 or maybe 20 minutes, depending on the size of your artichoke chunks (artichunks). Before that, add a handful or two of spinach and let it wilt away – this will take seconds. When that’s done, grab a hand blender (you could also do this in a stand blender or a food processor) and whizz the soup until smooth. Add the juice of half of your lemon, taste, and (if you’re me) add the other half of your lemon. Check for seasoning. Spoon into bowls and top with your masala croutons. Think to yourself: maybe January’s not so bad.
The sadness of oysters. I’ve been reading Daisy Dunn’s book about Pliny (uncle and nephew), and came across this line: “Oysters in deeper waters are small, wrote Pliny the Elder, because it is dark and ‘in their sadness they look less for food’.”
Other soups. If you’re in the mood for a more classic creamy Jerusalem artichoke soup, I’ve made one with this HFW recipe and some beetroot and ricotta fritters on the side and it’s hard not to love.
Never forget. I am sure that Nigel Slater (who is on record as saying ‘A fart is timeless’) calls Jerusalem artichokes ‘duvet lifters’ somewhere but I can’t find the quote. Anyone?