Sunchokes - A New Favorite

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend wherever you are reading this from.  Me, I was down with a cold/bug and didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked.  I did get to go for a drive on Saturday (went to buy a small tractor for my hubby) and the drive with the top down was a great way to usher in the Spring!  So no cooking for me this weekend.  Then last night, I was looking at some of my previous posts and realized, "Hey, you didn't post your recipe for Sunchokes!".

Now in all fairness, I know this isn't for everyone (Pat, you might be one those).  The flavor faintly reminds me of artichokes and the texture when mashed/processed is not overly smooth, but all in all my first experiment in cooking them wasn't half bad.  I'm looking forward to trying them in a few different recipes including adding them to a salad (they will add a lot of crunch).  I served them with my Roman Oxtail Stew and they were wonderful and a very light addition to a rich beef dish.

Roman Oxtail Stew with Sunchoke Puree

So here goes:

1/2 lb Sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
salt
fresh cracked black pepper

Peel sunchokes and cut them into chunks (about the same size).  Place in a pot of salted boiling water and cook until tender (like you would for mashed potatoes).  Strain and place in food processor.  Pulse until chopped.  On low speed of your food processor, add cream and process until smooth (all large chunks are gone.)  Add salt and pepper to taste.

There you are quick and easy!  I also found some wonderful recipes here http://jerusalemartichokerecipes.blogspot.com/ that I'm looking forward to trying!

Memories of Rome

Tasting something wonderful brings memories flooding back to me.

A family gathering, special time in my life, friends, whatever.  I often talk about the trip Pat and I took to Rome several years ago.  We rented a little apartment with no heat (didn't think about that) and it had to be the coldest winter in years!  10 glorious days in Rome with the love of my life (yes dear!), exploring the city with guide book in hand.  Eating, shopping at the wonderful markets (we cooked often) and visiting local establishments....always staying away from the typical tourist spots.

Osteria da Mario was by far my favorite (Ceci & Macaroni Soup) and the Roman Oxtail Stew just about sent me over the edge.    I love oxtails but had never had them prepared this way.  If you have never tasted them they are rich, gelatinous and just down right delicious.  I've been wanting to try to make this recipe and yesterday I did just that!  Heaven.

For basics I started with the recipe from The Talisman Italian Cook Book and I tweeked as I went.   Not sure if it's as good as the one I had (it came out wonderful!), but it brought back the memories of sitting across from my husband on a frigid night in Rome and walking back to our little apartment;  happy, content and loving every minute of our time together in "The Eternal City".

Roman Oxtail Stew

4 lbs oxtails
olive oil
2 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
salt and pepper
1 1/4 cups dry red wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
6 celery stalks, cut into large pieces
2 carrots, chopped

Heat a large heavy bottom dutch oven with enough olive oil to coat the bottom.  Brown oxtails and bacon until nicely brown and remove from the pan.  Add carrot, onion, garlic and parsley.  Saute until soft being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add wine and de-glaze the pot.  Next add the oxtails and bacon and allow the wine to reduce until almost completely evaporated over medium heat. Add your tomato paste and enough water to just cover the oxtails.  Cover and allow to simmer for about 4 hours or until the oxtails are tender.

Remove the oxtails and refrigerate your sauce so that you can skim the fat from the top (at this point I allow the sauce to sit overnight, so many things taste better the next day).

Once you have skimmed the fat, add the oxtails back to the sauce along with remaining carrots and celery and cook just until tender.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

I recommend serving this over with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sunchoke Puree or some wonderfully crusty bread and a delicious Chianti.

Enjoy!