The first time my chef’s knife ever crossed paths with sunchokes was during a vegetarian cooking class I took while living in Los Angeles. At the time, my husband and I had only been married for three months, yet we had already run into a problem: I didn’t eat meat, but he grew up in Texas on lots of steak.
During the cooking class, I remember putting an asterisk next to a version of the recipe I’m sharing with you today because when I tasted it, it reminded me of beef stew — surely something a meat man would appreciate! And I have to say, after eating this meal, I think he saw vegetables in a deliciously new light.
Winter Sunchoke Stew 4 servings
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 whole garlic cloves, peeled, plus 1 garlic clove, minced
2 bay leaves
¼ tsp. thyme leaves, chopped
6 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 large carrots, cut into 2-inch lengths
1 celery heart, cut into 2-inch lengths
¾ lb. sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes)
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup dry red wine
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. flour
1 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbsp. parsley
½ Tbsp. lemon zest
• In a large sauce pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium to medium-low heat. Add the onion, 6 cloves of garlic, bay leaves and thyme. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown.
• Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until the mushrooms start to release liquid, then add the carrots, celery and sunchokes.
• Season with 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper to taste, and the nutmeg. Saute for 5 more minutes.
• Turn heat to high and add the wine. The liquid will boil very quickly, bringing up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Using a spoon or spatula, scrape up the fond as the liquid boils. Once the fond has dispersed throughout the liquid and the liquid has reduced by half, reduce heat to medium.
• Keeping heat at medium, add the tomato paste and sprinkle the flour over the mixture, allowing it to simmer over for 2 minutes.
• Stir in the vegetable stock and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Turn heat to low and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are tender.
• If needed, add more salt and pepper to taste, then add the gremolada (the parsley, lemon zest and 1 remaining garlic clove) just before serving.
• Serve with rice pilaf or buttered egg noodles.
This article appears in February 2013.