I was given some beautiful Jerusalem artichokes. I stoved them: a way of cooking that is part-frying, part-steaming. This is how I did it (a recipe from the estimable Jane Grigson). You can adjust the quantities according to how many artichokes you have.
Ingredients:
Jerusalem artichokes
Olive oil
Butter
Parsley
Garlic
Salt and pepper
Method:
Peel the artichokes and cut them to a size equivalent to a very large olive. Put them in water, acidulated with lemon or vinegar, as you are peeling them in order to avoid them discolouring.
Warm the olive oil in a pan which can be covered and add a large knob of butter (to prevent burning). Put the artichokes into the pan in a single layer (if you’ve got a lot you may need two pans), cover with a lid and cook gently for ten minutes.
Remove the lid, turn the heat up slightly and cook uncovered for another ten minutes. Turn them as they start to brown on one side.
Chop some garlic and parsley and when the artichokes are ready to serve, add this mixture to them. And salt and pepper. Watch the artichokes as they are cooking uncovered to ensure that they don’t collapse. Serve on their own or with any roast meat, but they are particularly delicious with a joint of lamb.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Anyone who is familiar with the Jerusalem artichoke will also be familiar with one of its less desirable side effects. Wind. A cooking friend of mine has assured me that by bringing the artichokes to the boil and then throwing away the water – and then proceeding with whatever recipe one has in mind, this can be avoided.
I have tried it when boiling artichokes to make a puree and can report that it does seem to work. I haven’t tried it with the stoving method yet, but it would be easy to bring the artichokes to the boil before adding them to the oil and butter.
With thanks to Julia Langdon