Sunchokes have the soft freshness of artichoke hearts with the earthiness of root vegetables—perfect for simmering with leeks and blending with butter for a rich, velvety soup. Plus, a finishing drizzle of ginger oil adds a nice kick!
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 leeks, green tops only
- 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, divided, cut into individual tablespoons
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 quart water or vegetable stock, plus more as needed to thin soup
- 1 pound sunchokes, also called Jerusalem artichokes
- 2 bay leaves
- kosher salt
- 4 ounces ginger
- 2/3 cup grapeseed oil
Instructions
- Soup: Roughly chop dark green leek stalks. In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter; then add leeks. Smash and peel garlic cloves and add them to the pot. (If you’re using a Vitamix to pureé the soup later, you can leave garlic skins on.) Continue to cook leeks and garlic until soft, stirring occasionally, 2–3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over low heat, warm the water or stock.
- Roughly chop unpeeled sunchokes to a uniform size, about 1-inch pieces. Set aside. Meanwhile, tilt the pot with the leeks to pool the butter. Place bay leaves on top of the butter so they lightly fry for about 5 seconds. Then stir and continue sautéing until there is less popping coming from the pot, 2–3 more minutes.
- Ginger Oil: Slice unpeeled ginger into coins. Place in skillet over medium-high heat along with the oil. Heat until the ginger begins to fry, 2–3 minutes; fry for 1 minute, then turn off heat and set aside to cool. Once cool, store ginger and oil in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. (Ginger Oil can be made in advance; it will keep in jar, refrigerated, for two months.)When leeks are melted, remove from heat and season with a pinch of salt and stir. To the pot, add sunchokes and the warm water or stock. Turn heat to low and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, cook uncovered until the sunchokes are soft, 25–45 minutes. (Cooking time will depend on the freshness and water content of the sunchokes.)
- When the sunchokes are soft and break apart, discard the bay leaves before adding the contents of the pot to a blender. (If you’re using a high-speed blender such as Vitamix, you can leave the bay leaves in.) Replace the lid and blend on low speed to combine the ingredients; then slowly increase the blender speed to medium for 30 seconds. Turn speed back to low, remove the cap, and add the butter one piece at a time, so it emulsifies into the soup. When all of the butter has been emulsified, place the cap back on and purée at high speed for 30 seconds. (Optional: Pour soup through a fine-mesh strainer or chinois back into the pot for a more refined texture.)
- Assembly: Taste soup and adjust seasoning. Ladle warm soup into bowls. Drizzle a spoonful of Ginger Oil on top and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 287 |
| Total Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 31 mg |
| Sodium | 455 mg |
Reviews
So easy and delicious! 🙂