Jerusalem artichokes straight from the earth.

Jerusalem artichokes known in France as topinambour can be eaten raw, cooked, and marinated.
Since the first time I heard of this vegetable was in France I figured there was some special French way of preparing them, and who better to get a recipe from—Mamie Jacotte.

Jerusalem artichokes also known as topinambour.

I was quickly pre-empted by my husband who told me that it was a "war vegetable" , thus better to leave it behind and not be reminded of it. Ok, so then I asked elsewhere and it seems most people either sauté these tuber vegetables, boil or steam them and make a purée with potatoes, or roast and make a gratin out of them. Coat it with a whole lotta fat and I mean whole fat and you can't go wrong.

Then I read somewhere that it could be eaten raw. I took a little bite out of it and it was sweet and crunchy like a water chestnut and slightly nutty and artichokey. They are not at all from the same family and they do not come from Jerusalem (they come from Native America)—go figure!

Apparently, it supplies a lot more potassium than that of the banana (I understand that a banana is an easier snack to reach for) and a good choice of vegetable for people with type 2 diabetes since it is low in starch and high in carbohydrate inulin.

Winter Medley Salad

INGREDIENTS//Serves 2-3

• 300 grams Jerusalem artichoke, julienned
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 100 grams beetroot, julienned
• 1 endive
• 100 grams of blue cheese, goat cheese, or sheep cheese, crumbled
• 50 grams walnut, roughly chopped
• balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash and peel your Jerusalem artichokes and place them in a bowl of water with lemon juice to keep them

from oxidizing.

Use a mandoline to julienne your Jerusalem artichokes and beetroot. Transfer the raw, julienned vegetables into a medium size mixing bowl.

Add your roughly chopped endive to the mix.

Drizzle some balsamic vinegar and olive oil, add your cheese and walnuts, and toss.

NOTE

Instead of chopping your endive, you can use its full leaf and serve the salad in it. Line a bunch of endives up together and fill it in with small portions of the salad. This makes a pretty addition to the table.