Confit Jerusalem artichokes
Method
- Preheat your oven to bake 150°C
- Brush the artichokes with a dry stiff bristled brush, and remove any ragged bits
- Don’t get them wet
- In a baking dish just big enough to accommodate your artichokes melt an entire block of clarified butter along with 6 bay leaves and a handful of fresh thyme sprigs and a head of garlic cut through on the horizontal
- Add the artichokes, cover the pan tightly with a lid or tinfoil
- Bake for 45min or until artichokes are on the brink of collapse
- Serve with crusty bread, sautéed greens, and a handful of toasted seeds or nuts for a super quick vegetarian meal
- Retain the butter by straining it into a sterilised jar and using it to finish soups, to baste fish or meat or to toss through steamed or roasted veg
- *to clarify butter, simply melt it and let it stand in a heat-proof jug
- While still warm, gently pour off the clear butter fat from the top and discard the heavier milk solid (and accompanying water) from the bottom; it is these which cause butter to burn
- Alternatively you can wait for the melted butter to set, then making a hole down to the bottom of the jug, pour out the unwanted components
Comments
The double agent of the tuber group these are in fact neither from Jerusalem, nor are they artichoke, but rather a member of the sunflower family. They have a slightly sweet, nutty earthy note, with an unparalleled creamy texture. They love woody herbs, garlic and butter. Done in this fashion they are definitely a sometimes food, but they can also be steamed or baked or used in soups in dishes less likely to raise your doctors eyebrow.
