Artichoke Experiment Gone VERY Good

Working in restaurants has its benefits. I've learned so much from chefs, cooks, waiters and customers. My friend Katja (executive chef at Ciudad Restaurant) introduced me to sunchokes. They kept appearing in her recipes and she kept raving about their flavor. They're commonly known as Jerusalem artichokes. Here's what I don't get, they're native to North America. And they're really healthy and flavorful.

While poking around Trader Joe's, trying desperately to get out of my usual food choices/rut, I stumbled on a pack of sunchokes. I decided to prepare them in the same manner of a soup, and it came out AMAZING. Now that the weather has turned, enjoy this soup when the temperature outside drops.

16 oz sunchokes, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup of fresh water
salt, pepper

Peel and chop the sunchokes, then chop. Soak in water and add a squeeze of lemon.

Heat olive oil in a stock pot. Over medium heat, sautee onions, garlic, and celery for 5 minutes....make sure you stir it regularly. Add sunchokes and continue for 5 more minutes, still stirring occasionally.

Add the stock and taste for seasoning. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Bring the stock up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add water. Simmer covered for 20 minutes or until Jerusalem artichokes are very soft. Puree in batches. Damned tasty...