The silky texture of a Jerusalem artichoke purée or soup has a real sense of luxury to it, and the flavour matches excellently with the earthiness of wild mushrooms or, should the budget allow, a few shavings of truffle.
SERVES 6 AS A STARTER
For the soup
2 sticks of celery, finely sliced
2 large banana shallots, finely sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1kg Jerusalem artichokes
double cream to taste
Maldon sea salt
For the crisps
4 small artichokes, peeled and thinly sliced
oil for deep-frying
50/50 blend of finely ground Maldon sea salt and cep powder for dusting
For the mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, smashed
200g mixed wild mushrooms
20g unsalted butter
1 dsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. For the soup, start to soften the shallots and celery in the olive oil in a heavy, wide-bottomed pan. Peel and finely slice the artichokes, cutting them as thin as you can. Add to the pan and season lightly with salt. Continue to sweat the vegetables until they begin to soften, then just cover with water and bring to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are completely soft. This time varies but approximately 20–30 minutes.
2. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender, in batches if necessary, and process until completely smooth. Add a touch of double cream, and season to taste. The seasoning is really key in this recipe. You want to keep adding salt until the maximum flavour is achieved but the soup doesn’t taste salty. Pass through a fine sieve and either chill or keep warm if using immediately.
3. To make the crisps, dry the artichoke slices on kitchen paper and then deep-fry in small batches at 160°C until pale golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and season with the salt mix.
4. For the mushrooms, heat the oil in a heavy, non-stick pan and add the garlic clove. Allow the garlic to brown in the hot oil and then remove, pressing down well on the clove. Add the mushrooms to the garlic pan and sauté over a high heat until they just start to colour and crisp, and finish with the butter and parsley, seasoning to taste.
5. To serve, divide the mushrooms between shallow bowls, pour the soup around and serve the crisps on the side.