Bring me my arrows of desire

[venta]

Wanted: suggestions of what I should do with a Jerusalem artichoke.
Additional: suggestions should be both polite and culinary :)

A friend of mine grows artichokes. When I say "grows", I really mean "has failed to eradicate from her garden". For those not paying attention, Jerusalem artichokes are the ones that look like knobbly, bobbly potatoes. They are not green leafy things; they're globe artichokes.

Anyway, I've been given some extraordinarily knobbly artichokes. Do not be fooled by the picture of the nice, shapely, slim artichokes pictured on Wikipedia. These are like potatoes with serious problems.

Last time Katie gave me artichokes, she supplied a recipe for artichoke, bacon and leek gratin. This involved peeling the artichokes (very tedious) and ultimately tasted as if it'd have been nicer had I made it with normal spuds instead.

So... what shall I do with them this time ? I have two or three large artichokes. I'm considering roasting them whole, in the hopes that'll make it easier to get their skins off, and making them into soup. Elaborations, variations, or anything else on that plan welcome.

Comments

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

You can roast them, or peel them and make soup.

Unfortunately they're not very polite vegetables - they have a rather explosive effect on one's digestion.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Hmm. If I roast them, can I eat the skins ? I figure that works for most vegetables (even butternut squash, to my immense surprise). That would save on the peeling.

I don't remember the explosive effects from last time, but thanks for the warning!

[venta.livejournal.com]

I've just learned from Wikipedia, that the lack of politeness is caused by them storing inulin (a kind of carb) which some people can't digest well, and in them it causes Issues.

There's also this lovely quotation from at 17thC. herbal:

"which way soever they be dressed and eaten, they stir and cause a filthy loathsome stinking wind within the body, thereby causing the belly to be pained and tormented, and are a meat more fit for swine than men."

[stegzy.livejournal.com]

Artichokes are the secret cousin of Parsnips and just as vulgar.

[edling.livejournal.com]

We get them sometimes in our veggie box delivery, they confused us immensely the first time we had them. We find they make a good mash when mixed with spuds, but I don't know whether we peel them first because making mash is one of the cooking tasks that Cat does.

[mr-tom.livejournal.com]

Puréed and served with scallops. Omnomnom.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Interesting as a long-term goal, but I get home from work well after the fishmonger shuts :(

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I have always peeled them, whether roasting or mashing. I guess you might be able to get away without when roasting -- why not give it a go, and report back here (if you're still alive)?

[drdoug.livejournal.com]

Artichokes are always profoundly knobbly. Big ones are easier to peel than little ones.

My belief is that they require peeling, but I've no actual evidence to back it up . More research required!

I do have good personal evidence that peeling is much easier if you do it after boiling. It's still fiddly and annoying, and you need a combo of small sharp knife, peeler, and fingers, but it's better than trying to do it to the raw, hard versions.

I like to make soup with them (whizz up in blender with good stock, optionally add softened onion, garlic, etc etc), or mix with potatoes for tasty mash.

[motodraconis.livejournal.com]

I tend to treat them as I would any other random root vegetable such as a swede or carrot and put them in stews or soups.

I prefer globes though.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I think I've only eaten the globe kind when they reach the hearts-preserved-in-oil stage. Which is quite a yummy stage, I admit, and quite superior to suspiciously knobbly tubers.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Fresh globe artichokes are fantastic too, though they're basically just a method of conveying lemon and butter to the mouth.

Personally I've always wanted to try cardoons, which are similar to globe artichokes in taste only without the ease of consumption.

[mrph.livejournal.com]

I've just planted this year's cardoons. Unlike last year, this batch will not be trampled by builders... :)

[ylla.livejournal.com]

All I know about them is that they're vaguely linguistically interesting, for having nothing to do with Jerusalem.

[venta.livejournal.com]

... and I don't think they're artichokes, either!

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

No, they're related to sunflowers.

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

I don't think I've ever cooked them myself, but when they were on the tasting stand in Waitrose they were thinly sliced and fried with a little salt and pepper and were rather delicious.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Interesting. I wonder if you need to parboil them to do that. I guess not if they're very thinly sliced.

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure. I'm afraid I'm fairly certain they were peeled, though.

[mrph.livejournal.com]

Hmm. They're quite tasty raw, in slices - like slightly nuttier water chestnuts. They roast/bake well too - and then go fluffy, so you can eat them right out of the skin. No peeling and doesn't take too long.

I think skins are edible - at least when cooked - just hard to clean.

Make a great soup, too. Especially with carrots.

(mine are just surfacing again at the end of the garden...)

[cuthbertcross.livejournal.com]

We eat lots (as grow them too)...

For naughtiness-peel and slice thimly, then pan-fry in butter with sausages.

For virtue- wrap in foil unpeeled and cook alongside small jacket potatoes . Them take out of foil and squeeze out the centre like tubes of toothpaste directly into mouth. Yum.

For soups and stews- peel, chop/slice then put into whatever. Keep shape well, will give any gravy a nutty flavour.
Works well with beef, venison and sausages.

Or you can mash them. Or fry and then stir into stir-fried rice. Or butter-fry and mix with parmesan on top of spaghetti.

I tried these once, knowing they're risky

[a-llusive.livejournal.com]

My innards made every effort to ensure that I'd know how stupid a decision I'm made and ensure I wouldn't take such a gamble again. Best of luck.