Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [219]
How to use When sliced very thin, raw sunchokes are crisp and juicy at the same time, with a nutty flavor that is most welcome in a salad. When sautéed or gratinéed, their texture is a blend of cream and silk, and their taste vaguely recalls that of artichoke hearts, but is sweeter, with none of the artichoke’s underlying bitterness. The thin skin can be left on when they are to be eaten raw, but must be removed for cooking because it hardens.
How to buy Sunchokes are in season from fall through early spring. They are at their best when very firm; as they lose freshness, they become spongy.
Sautéed Sunchokes
For 6 servings
1½ pounds sunchokes Salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic chopped very fine
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 tablespoon parsley chopped very fine
1. Skin the sunchokes, using a small paring knife or a swiveling-blade peeler. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, add salt, then drop in the peeled sunchokes, the larger pieces first, holding back the smaller ones a few moments. When the water returns to a boil, take the sunchokes out. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, cut them into slices ¼ inch thick or less. They should still be quite firm.
2. Put the olive oil and garlic in a skillet, and turn on the heat to medium. Cook, stirring the garlic, until it becomes colored a very pale gold, then add the sliced sunchokes, turning them thoroughly to coat them well. Add salt, pepper, and chopped parsley, and turn them over completely once again. Cook until the sunchokes feel very tender when prodded with a fork, turning them from time to time while they are cooking. Taste and correct for salt and serve at once.
Sunchoke Gratin
For 4 servings
1 pound sunchokes
Salt
An oven-to-table baking dish
Butter for smearing and dotting the baking dish
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Peel the sunchokes and drop them in salted, boiling water. Cook them until they feel tender, but not mushy when prodded with a fork. Ten minutes after the water returns to a boil, check them frequently because they tend to go from very firm to very soft in a brief span of time. Drain when done, and as soon as they are cool enough to handle, cut them into ½-inch thick slices.
3. Smear the bottom of a baking dish with butter, then place the sunchoke slices in it, arranging them so they overlap slightly, roof tile fashion. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the grated Parmesan, dot with butter, and place the dish on the uppermost rack of the preheated oven. Bake until a light golden crust begins to form on top. Allow to settle for a few minutes out of the oven before serving.
Smothered Sunchokes with Tomato and Onion
For 6 servings
1½ pounds sunchokes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion sliced very fine
½ teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
⅔ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Skin the sunchokes with a paring knife or a swiveling-blade peeler, wash them in cold water, and cut them into pieces about 1 inch thick.
2. Put the oil and onion in a saute pan, and turn on the heat to medium high. Cook and stir the onion until it becomes colored a deep gold, then put in the garlic. Stir rapidly, add the parsley, stir quickly 2 or 3 times, then put in the tomatoes with their juice. Stir to coat well, and adjust heat to cook at a steady simmer.
3. When the tomatoes have simmered for 5 minutes, add the cut-up sunchokes, salt, and pepper, turn the sunchokes over completely once or twice to coat them well, and adjust heat to cook at a very slow, intermittent simmer. Cook for about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sunchokes feel very tender when prodded with a fork.
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