Sunchoke Soup With Pumpkin Seeds Recipes

SUNCHOKE SOUP WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Mix 8 cups water and vinegar in large bowl. Working with 1 Jerusalem artichoke at a time, peel and place in vinegar water to prevent discoloration. Set aside.
• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and garlic; sprinkle with salt and sauté until soft and translucent, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Drain artichokes; rinse well and drain again. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to onion mixture and sauté 5 minutes. Add 7 cups vegetable broth, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until artichokes are very tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.
• Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth. Return to pot. Rewarm soup, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if needed to thin. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and white pepper. do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm before continuing. Divide soup among bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds; top with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and some sautéed mushrooms, if desired.
• Tubers of a variety of sunflower; available in the produce section of some supermarkets and at farmers' markets.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE AND CHEESE PUMPKIN SOUP

Steps:

• In a large flameproof casserole over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add artichokes, onions, celery and garlic. Saute until tender, about 10 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes.
• While soup is simmering, preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small pan, melt 2 remaining tablespoons butter. In a medium-size bowl, combine pumpkin and melted butter, tossing until pumpkin is well coated. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the pumpkin on the sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until tender and lightly browned on the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside.
• Add heavy cream to soup, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer in batches to a food processor, and puree until smooth. Adjust seasoning.
• To serve, place a small mound of the pumpkin in the center of each of 6 bowls. Ladle the soup around pumpkin, and sprinkle each bowl with about a teaspoon of the chives.

SUNCHOKE (JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE) AND LEEK SOUP WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the leek in the hot oil until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the sunchokes, celery, carrot, and garlic into the leeks. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves and 1/2 bunch chopped tarragon. Increase the heat to high; cook and stir until the vegetables are hot, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour the vermouth into the pan; bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the vegetable broth, reduce heat to medium-low, and bring the mixture to a simmer; cook until the vegetables are completely tender, about 30 minutes. Reserving a few sprigs for garnish, add the watercress to the soup; allow the watercress to wilt in the hot soup, about 5 minutes.
• While the soup simmers, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms to the melted butter, season with salt and pepper, and cook until completely tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining tarragon and set aside.
• Remove and discard the bay leaves. Reserve about 1/3 of the soup in a separate pot. Pour the other 2/3 of the soup into a blender in batches, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Holding the lid of the blender with towel, carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into the pot with the unblended portion. Serve in bowls, topping each with a large spoonful of the cooked mushrooms and a sprig of watercress.