Culinary Anthropologist

Jerusalem artichoke soup with prawns and piment d’Espelette

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We had something like this at Mon Vieil Ami, an excellent bistro in Paris, during the first week of our culinary travels.  Jerusalem artichoke has to be one of my favourite soups; it’s just so delicious.  This combination with sweet shellfish, fresh herbs and slightly hot, bright chilli is a winner.  In the bistro they performed some table theatre for us by pouring the soup over the garnishes artfully placed in the bowl.  You could just put the garnishes on top, as usual; the prawns will just about stay on the surface without sinking.  

Smjartichokeprawn0002.jpgPiment d’Espelette is a red chilli grown in a small area in southern France, traditionally northern Basque Country.  The dried flakes have a small amount of heat and almost smoky flavour with some acidity.  You could substitute a mix of hot and sweet paprika, perhaps with a dash of smoky Spanish ‘pimentón’ if you have it.  Piment d’Espelette has its own AOC status and was all the rage in Parisian bistros when we were eating our way round them in February 2008.

For a much simpler Jerusalem artichoke soup, simply omit all the garnishes – it’s still fabulous.  Or see the variation at the bottom which is from my Chez Panisse intern days – a perfect marriage of celery and ‘sunchoke’, as they call it there.  This soup also featured on our road trip: the owner of Lalla Mira organic restaurant and hotel in Essaouira agreed for her chef to teach me the Moroccan speciality ‘pastilla’ on condition that I reciprocated by teaching her some new dishes.  I found some lovely Jerusalem artichokes in the souk, and this soup was a big success.


Recipe: 
Jerusalem artichoke soup with prawns and piment.pdf

Serves:  4 as a starter or 2 as a meal in itself
Total time:  45 mins

1 small onion, finely sliced
olive oil
salt
500g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and evenly sliced
bouquet garni of one small sprig of thyme, a parsley stalk and a bay leaf
nutmeg

garnishes:
2-3 large raw prawns per person, peeled  (you can leave the tails on but it will be harder to eat)
salt & pepper
nutmeg
olive oil
piment d’Espelette (or sweet paprika spiked with a little hot paprika)
finely chopped chives
snipped cress

  1. Cook onion in a generous slug of olive oil with a pinch of salt over a very low heat, covered, stirring occasionally.  Cook until they are totally soft but not at all coloured.  This will take around 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile prepare Jerusalem artichokes and when onions are ready add them to the saucepan along with another good pinch of salt, the bouquet garni and just enough water to barely cover vegetables.  Jerusalem artichokes are not starchy so you need less water than for, say, a soup containing potatoes.  Bring to a boil then simmer until Jerusalem artichokes are totally tender.
  3. Meanwhile prepare garnishes.  Season prawns with a little salt, pepper, nutmeg and piment d’Espelette, then fry them briefly on both sides in a dash of well-heated oil.  If preparing these in advance you’ll need to re-warm before serving.  Also, mix around two tablespoons of fresh olive oil with around two teaspoons of piment in a little cup.
  4. To finish the soup, remove herbs, blend until smooth, adjust consistency by adding water if needed, and season with salt and nutmeg as desired.
  5. Garnish each bowl of soup with two or three prawns, a drizzle of your piment d’Espelette oil and a sprinkling of chives and cress.


Simple alternative:  Jerusalem artichoke and celery soup

1 small onion, finely sliced
olive oil
salt
500g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and evenly sliced
bouquet garni of one small sprig of thyme, a parsley stalk and a bay leaf
1 large stick celery, finely sliced

Make the soup as above, adding the celery once the water has just come to a boil.  Check that both the Jerusalem artichoke and celery pieces are tender before blending.  To keep the bright, grassy celery note, try not to overcook the soup.  Many people add cream or butter to Jerusalem artichoke soup but I don’t think it’s necessary as it’s surprisingly creamy as it is.  (Not that I’m usually so restrained.)  This soup is delicious on its own or with a drizzle of white truffle oil and sprinkling of freshly cracked black pepper.

Learn more about Jerusalem artichokes here…


1 Comment

  1. Richard

    Hello Anna,
    I have actually had the opportunity to try this soup while I was in Paris in 2008. It was a delicious soup. I love any soup with seafood in it. We don’t have this particular soup in America so I’ll have to wait to come to Paris again unfortunately.