Sunchoke soup with morel mushrooms

For 4-6

Ingredients:

• 5 oz fresh or 1 oz dried morel mushrooms, halved and cleaned
• 1 lb Jerusalem artichokes/sunchokes, scrubbed or peeled
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup white wine
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Recipe:

1. In a bowl, mix the lemon juice with cold water.  Thinly slice the sunchokes and immediately immerse them in the bowl of lemon water to keep them from browning. Soak for about 5 minutes then drain
2. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Saute the shallots for 5 minutes and stir frequently. Add the sliced sun chokes and sauté for another 5 minutes
3. Add the white wine and cook until it’s evaporated. Pour in the chicken or vegetable broth and bring it to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, let it simmer for 15 minutes on low heat till the sunchokes are softened
4. Puree using a food processor or blender then strain using a medium-mesh strainer. Pour the liquid back into the saucepan and stir in the cream
5. Heat the remaining tbsp of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Saute the morel mushrooms for 5 mins and season lightly with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg
6. Serve the soup in bowls or cups and top with the sautéed mushrooms
7. Bon appétit! 

Serving suggestions: salad, bread, white wine  …

NOTES: Gordon Ramsay’s recipe. Let’s just say the flavor is nutty and earthy. A ‘tasting menu’ item if you are feeling like presenting something ‘exotic’, but the taste wasn’t as lovely as I imagined. Sunchokes are the ginger root-like vegetables in grocery store which are in season during the colder months of the year.  To revive dry mushrooms, soak them in lukewarm water for < 30 minutes. Also, the fresh mushroom to dry mushroom ratio is 1 lb fresh = 3 oz dry. The more I think about it the more I regret wasting my morel mushrooms!!!!!