Jerusalem Artichoke Salad

What is it?

It is not an artichoke and certainly it doesn’t come from Jerusalem. It is a species of sunflower (Helianthus tuberosus) native to North America. It can be also called sunroot, sunchoke, earth apple or topinambur. It is cultivated for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable. The knobby sunchoke tubers look similar to ginger roots, with light brown skin which may be tinged with yellow, red, or purple depending on the soil they are grown in. Prime season - from October to April, and they are best dug after a light frost. So go ahead and try them, the time is now!

The best cooking method for jerusalem artichokes is sautéing or braising, but they can be also eaten raw; fortunately! So, when I feel extremely lazy but still want something rather gourmet-tasting – I make this simple, yet delicious salad of raw sunchokes:

Ingredients (serves 2):

4-6 jerusalem artichokes

a handful of parsley
3-4 tbsp best-quality extra virgin olive oil
a piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano
salt (preferably Maldon or Fleur de sel) and freshly ground pepper

Method:

The most important thing is to slice the jerusalem artichokes as thinly as possible. So thin, that you almost can see through the slices! I use a very sharp knife to achieve that effect, but if your lack fine knife skills - a very sharp vegetable peeler will do just fine.

1. Wash, peel and slice very thinly the jerusalem artichokes. Pile and arrange them on a serving plate.

2. Using a vegetable peeler, shave 15-25 good-sized pieces (or more, to taste) of Parmesan.

3. Wash and dry the parsley; chop it fine. (I am using the flat-leaf type, generally in all my cooking; however for a visual effect the curly type somehow makes better presentation in this case)

4. Top decoratively with the parsley leaves. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and add a few grindings of pepper. Enjoy!

Disclaimer:
Jerusalem artichoke along with parsnip, brussels sprout, cabbage and cauliflower is included on the list of the most fart-prompting vegetables. This is because jerusalem artichoke contains a type of sugar, inulin, that can cause quite severe flatulence in people with sensitivity to this; you will know soon enough weather you are among them!