Celery, Quinoa, Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

equipment:

• 1 large soup pot
• 1 immersion blender (you can do it with a regular blender, but its such a pain...)
• 1 pyrex bowl
• 1 microwave
  

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of celery from the CSA (this is about 2/3 the size of the bunch you would get in a store)
• 2 medium onions
• 3-5 cloves of garlic, to taste
  
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa.
  
• 1/3 lb jerusalem artichokes
• vegetable broth (if you dont have, add a dash of cumin and turmeric (translate: about 1/4 to 1/2 a tsp of each per 2 cups of water).
• olive oil for sauteing
• salt and pepper to taste
• thyme (dry is fine)
  
• sage (fresh or well ground. dont use any big dry leaves).
• yogurt or cheese- optional
  

Notes: in short, the recipe uses 1/2 the celery and 1/2 the artichokes you got today. feel free to double.

Instructions:

• place the quinoa in the pyrex bowl with a touch more than 2 cups of water. place a lid or plate on top of the pyrex bowl and microwave it for 20 minutes on high. (NOTE- if the quinoa is not pre-rinsed, you will need to rinse it ahead of time. Other note to self- this is why you should always buy pre-rinsed quinoa. final note- this is a great way to cook quinoa).
  
• wash the jerusalem artichokes well. chop em small.
  
• heat olive oil in the bottom of the pot. add the jerusalem artichokes and start to saute.
  
• chop the onions small and add them to the pot.
• chop the garlic and add it to the pot.
  
• chop the celery. feel free to include the leaves.
  
• when the onions are translucent and the jerusalem artichokes look cooked, add the celery. stir.
• when the celery looks slightly wilted, add the quinoa.
• add the thyme & sage
• add enough vegetable broth so that it covers the mixture by about 2 inches.
  
• let it simmer
• puree with the immersion blender. if you want it thinner, add more broth and let the mixture simmer again.
  
• serve hot or cold. great with a dollop of yogurt on top. or some grated cheese.
  

Jerusalem Artichoke Basics

Jerusalem Artichokes are neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke. They are the root of a beutiful tall yellow flower that looks like a sunflower. The root has a texture like a potato, but with a fun nutty twist.


some basic ways to prepare a jerusalem artichoke:
(be sure to clean them well before cooking)

1. roast them in the oven. chop them up the way you like your roasted potatoes. a touch a olive oil, salt, and pepper is great. The more adventurous can add twists like rosemary. or roast it in combination with other root vegetables (see here for some ideas)

2. simmer/saute
Chop them the way you like your pan sauteed potatoes. Place them in a pot with a lid. add vegetable broth enough to barely cover them. let them simmer. when the broth has boiled for about 6 minutes, remove the lid and let the liquid evaporate so that they can start sauteing in the pan. You may want to add a touch of oil in the last step to help with the saute.
variations: add chopped onions and/or garlic to the pot.

no vegetable broth? no problem.
While this doesnt work for every recipe, the main goal of the broth here is to give the chokes something a little more flavorful than plain water to simmer in. Some quick substitutes include:

• adding a dash of cumin and turmeric (translate: about 1/4 to 1/2 a tsp of each per 2 cups of water). amazing how cumin can make a broth taste meaty.
• adding 1 tsp of soy sauce per 2 cups of water
• adding a touch of miso paste
• adding star anise