sunchokes – A Bowl of Cherrys https://abowlofcherrys.com Life, Autism, Food and Fun Mon, 15 Feb 2021 17:18:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.3 https://i1.wp.com/abowlofcherrys.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/cropped-cherry2.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 sunchokes – A Bowl of Cherrys https://abowlofcherrys.com 32 32 Rooted Recipe: Sunchoke Salt & Vinegar Chips https://abowlofcherrys.com/rooted-recipe-sunchoke-salt-vinegar-chips/ Tue, 16 Feb 2021 17:14:00 +0000 http://abowlofcherrys.com/?p=1218 Read More]]> Rooted Recipe: Sunchoke Salt & Vinegar Chips

What’s a sunchoke? You may know this root vegetable as a Jerusalem artichoke. It’s a small, knobby root – almost looking like ginger root – that grows a type of sunflower. Despite their strange shape, sunchokes are equally as delicious raw as they are roasted, giving you a sweet, nutty, and crunchy bite.

Despite the name, sunchokes have no origins in Jerusalem, and they really don’t taste like artichokes. They are more like potatoes (another root vegetable) and why I’m featuring them as one of the root vegetable recipes this month.

But before we divulge all the delicious ways you can put sunchokes to good use, you need to be warned that sunchokes have another interesting nickname: Fartchokes. Alas, it’s true. The excessive gas is caused by the high content of a carbohydrate called inulin. Our digestive system is not able to digest this carb, while the bacteria in our colons absolutely thrive on it, thus causing some noxious output.  But there are ways to minimize the effect. Keeping them in cold storage for at least 4 weeks helps, which lets the roots absorb most of the inulin. The other is pickling them, which is what I often do.

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Salt and Vinegar Sunchoke Chips

Course: Snack
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1-2 handfuls sunchokes, chopped into 1" nuggets
  • 5 TBS sea salt
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced (save both)
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Pickling

  • Combine all the ingredients -- EXCEPT the SUNCHOKES -- in a saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil to dissolve the salt.
  • Add the sunchokes and enough water to just cover the sunchokes.
  • Bring to a boil again, then turn down the heat to low.
  • Simmer for 10 minutes.

Chips

  • Cool the mixture, then drain.
  • Thinly slice the sunchokes. A mandolin is a great tool for this.
  • To air-fry: spray the chips with oil. Add to basket at high setting for about 10 minutes, shaking and checking on them every so often, until crisp.
  • To fry traditionally: Heat oil to nearly smoking. Add sunchokes in batches and fry until golden. Drain on paper towel.

Notes

You can add other spices to the pickling mixture (or take out any except the salt and vinegar, obviously). I sometimes add turmeric, mustard seeds, black pepper, and/or spicy pepper flakes.
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