Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I bought both of these at the grocery store yesterday because they were cheap and locally grown, and because I have leftover MoFo mojo that makes me want to at least try to eat every kind of fruit or vegetable I haven't eaten yet. I have no idea what they taste like or what they are usually used for!

Salsify:


Sunchokes:


I know I need to peel the salsify, but advice seems to vary on whether sunchokes need to be peeled. I'm staunchly anti-carrot and potato peeling, and prefer all root veg just scrubbed clean, so if I don't have to peel them, that would be great.

Does the PPK have any favorite dishes involving these vegetables? Should I just roast 'em? I am always down for roast veg.

<3

I've had sunchokes a few times, my boyfriend just bought us another package because he likes them tossed into stir-fry. As much of a pain as it is to peel those knobbly little things, it does make them more pleasant to eat because the skins are a bit tough, tougher than potato skins certainly. A bit closer to the texture of ginger skin, I think. I can't remember if the skins are bitter at all; I don't think so, just a little too fibrous.

Also, neat, I don't think I've heard of salsify!

Cool! What does salsify taste like?

Oooh, I'm so glad I didn't try the sunchokes without peeling. Ginger-like skin is bad news for palatability, so a paring knife it will be! Thank you for the tip.

I'm reading that salsify tastes like artichoke hearts or asparagus, which basically means it is my dream vegetable. It is also apparently known as the "oyster plant," but I have no idea what oyster tastes like!

I think I'm just going to roast both of these and see what they're like before I start putting them in recipes.

Say what? Sunchokes have really thin, tender skin. The only time I've ever peeled them is when they've had deep crannies I haven't been able to wash the dirt out of. I do scrub them well!

I like them best raw, in salads. But when I used to make my own pasta noodles I'd steam & mash them and use to replace part of the liquid. Those were the best noodles I've ever tasted!

I don't remember salsify having a lot of flavor, but they were from my garden and perhaps not grown very well. They were tough, and if I peeled them they turned gray-black almost immediately. But I hear they're very healthy for you.

Oops.

I briefly considered growing sun chokes and collected a few recipes. I decided against growing them, so I never tried any of these. The pita pizzas look fun though!

http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2006/11/autumn-sunchoke-salad.html

http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/sunwich-pita-pizzas

http://www.kitchencaravan.com/recipe/sunchoke-salad-brussel-sprout-confetti

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Fennel-Sunchoke-and-Apple-Salad

My Dad and G'mother like salsify and we've found one store that will get it in.

A basic way to use them is to peel and chop them, then boil for 5 minutes then fry in some oil. I think if you leave them in water they won't turn brown while you're peeling/chopping the rest.

jae steele has a great recipe for "sunchoke oven fries" in get it ripe. i can't seem to find the recipe online and don't have my copy of the book here, but rest assured, they are delicious! i made some of her ketchup to go with them. YUM.

Yeah, that recipe is awesome. I usually just chop them into chunks, toss in some olive oil and sea salt, and roast. A bit of thyme is good too. I've never had a problem with the skins, I generally just leave them on.
I also like to julienne sunchokes (I've heard them called Jerusalem artichokes) and put them in a salad, raw. They're also good in a root veg stew, they go all tender and sweet. Yummy.

Thinly sliced sunchokes (with skin) are amazing on pizza. Drizzle with some olive oil and throw some garlic on top and that's it. Perfect pizza!

sunchokes: +1 on the oven fries. I've also made sunchoke fries in the deep fryer.

salsify: very good in a casserole (steam, mix with a white sauce, top with crumbled saltines, bake)

I made a fake chickenstew with salsify http://juus-german-kitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/vegan-huhnerfrikassee-vegan-chicken.html.

But you can also peel them, cook them in some water and cover with a roux or some vegan sauce bernaise and eat them with cooked potatoes.

Or you try this japanese soup http://www.justhungry.com/kenchinjiru-japanese-zen-buddhist-vegetable-soup and use the salsify instead of the gobo root it calls for.

When you don't want it you get grey after peeling, you should just throw it into a bowl of water emediatly.

Sunchoke soup is amazing - Thomas Keller has a recipe in Great Chefs Cook Vegan with fresh radish pickles and deep fried croutons used to garnish a really simple sunchoke soup. Mmmmm.

Salsify has a slightly scallopy flavor, hence calling it oyster root.

I actually made an oyster mushroom chowder and put some salsify in. I put it in a creamy oyster chowder, but I think it would be better with the red variety. However I've not seen salsify in like 8 years so I've never gotten to try.

I think sunchokes are Jerusalem artichokes, right? I hope so, cause my dad gave me a ton of homegrown Jerusalem artichokes and some of these recipes will be helpful!

No :( - but artichokes are bomb too so you still win!

^Really?? They look identical! Hmm...

I only ever tried jarred salisify. I remember really liking it, and I think it had a mild flavour.
I saw sunchokes for the first time in the market the other day. I'm going to have to try.

Actually, yes, sunchokes = jerusalem artichokes. A la Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke): The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), also called the sunroot, sunchoke, earth apple or topinambur, is a species of sunflower native to the eastern United States, from Maine west to North Dakota, and south to northern Florida and Texas.[1] It is also cultivated widely across the temperate zone for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable.[2]

They're so close to taters (except not starchy, sweeter and nuttier at once, but quite delicate in flavor), I use them in the same way- roasted, braised, in latkes and fritters, in soups and stews, stir fried, mashed, in gratins, in tagines, in casseroles, made into chips, made into gnocchi. But they're wonderful raw, as well, so definite +1 for raw noodles and sliced for salads! Also, pickled!

Ooooh thanks!