Jerusalem Artichokes With Bacon Garlic And Lemon Recipes

SAUTéED JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES WITH GARLIC AND BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Jerusalem artichokes are sweet and almost garlicky and mushroomy and gorgeous. 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.
• To serve 4, you will need 600g/1lb 6oz of Jerusalem artichokes. Peel them, then cut them into chunks. Place them in an oiled frying pan and fry on a 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.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES WITH BACON, GARLIC AND LEMON

Steps:

• Finely grate the zest from the lemon onto a plate, cover with cling film and set aside to use later. Halve the lemon, squeeze out the juice and put the juice and lemon halves into a bowl with plenty of cold water. Peel the artichokes, cut away the ends, then cut into two if very long. Trim a little from each end to give barrel-shaped pieces, then drop them into the lemony water as you go, to stop them discolouring.
• Heat 2 tbsp of the oil and half the butter in a large sauté pan or deep frying pan over a medium heat. Drain the artichokes, dry them well, add to the pan and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Partially cover the pan with a lid and leave to part-steam, part-fry for 15-20 minutes until just tender, turning regularly. Don't cook them too fast or handle them too roughly - they may collapse.
• Meanwhile, cut the bacon into lardons. Five minutes before the artichokes are cooked, heat the remaining oil in another large frying pan or shallow flameproof casserole. Add the bacon and fry gently until just turning golden. Add the garlic and leave to cook for a few seconds, then stir in the remaining butter, reserved lemon zest and parsley.
• Carefully tip the cooked artichokes into the second pan and gently toss everything together. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then serve.

BUTTERED JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Peel and finely slice 1kg Jerusalem artichokes, adding to a bowl of water and lemon juice. Heat 75g butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and, once foaming, add the artichokes, 1 crushed garlic clove and 3 thyme sprigs.
• Cook for 20 mins or so, adding another 75g cubed butter gradually, cube by cube, basting frequently so that the artichokes are always covered in foaming butter, until they're a rich roasted colour. Just before serving, toss with the juice 1 lemon and season to taste.

CRISPY JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES WITH ROASTED GARLIC & ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Soak the artichokes in cold water for 20 mins or so to loosen any dirt, then scrub them with a scourer, being sure to remove any grit. Halve the small ones and quarter the bigger ones, and put them in a roasting tin with the split garlic bulb and rosemary. Coat everything with the oil and season. Roast for 45-50 mins until tender inside and crispy outside.
• To finish, squeeze the softened garlic cloves from their skins and toss with the roasted artichokes, along with the mace, butter and lemon juice.