Although called artichokes they’re actually tubers – like rough and ready potatoes.
You can scrub and roast them whole like mini jacket potatoes and split them open, drizzled with a little chilli oil.
You can even use them in a salad with smoky bacon.
A Jerusalem artichoke’s best friends are sage, thyme, butter, bacon, bay, cream, breadcrumbs, cheese and anything smoked.
Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) do indeed have a gassy reputation. The sweetness comes from high levels of inulin, a soluble fibre that passes intact through the digestive system until it reaches the colon, where gut bacteria break it down then release gas.
If you are making Jerusalem artichoke soup, one remedy is adding caraway or fennel seeds.
Another is to eat a slice of wholegrain toast with your bowl of soup.
Slow-roasting may help to break down the inulin and thus make them more digestible - so add some to your slow-cooker stew over the winter, or roast for at least an hour in a medium oven.
Or boiling Jerusalem artichokes in an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar, boiling quarter-inch-thick artichokes slices for 15 minutes in just enough lemon juice to cover them.
Recipe by Jamie Oliver
Peel them, then cut them into chunks.
Place them in an oiled frying pan and fry on medium heat until golden on both sides, then add a few bay leaves, 2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced, a splash of white wine vinegar, some salt and pepper, and place a lid on top.
After about 20 to 25 minutes they will have softened up nicely and you can remove the lid and the bay leaves.
Continue cooking for a couple of minutes to crisp the artichoke slices up one last time, then serve straight away.
Personally, I think they go well with both meat and fish and are particularly good in a plate of antipasti, or in soups or warm salads.
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