I know you must all be relieved… I could hear the panic building at the school gates today… “What shall we do with our Jerusalem artichoke glut” you were saying… “wherever shall we find a tasty recipe”… Well, worry no longer… (ahem). So unless you’re an allotmenteer or, like me, accidentally ordered the ‘fancy’ box from the veg box people (along with two small loaves of bread and 2ltrs of milk you didn’t need) then you probably haven’t a) heard of Jerusalem artichoke or b) got a glut in the fridge. There was only a momentary knee-jerk panic reaction to seeing a whole bag of them in the same week as the #WasteNot campaign (speaking of which the milk and bread is being re-homed with a neighbour). But after a brief consultation with instagram, and a little bit of research, this delicious union of flavours happened… And it’s worth buying Jerusalem Artichokes for, although I couldn’t tell you where to get them, unless you have a friend with an allotment or order the fancy veg box!!
Ingredients for 1 large tart (serves 4):
Ingredients for the short-crust pastry:
250g plain flour
125g butter
pinch salt
Method for the pastry:
1. Sieve the flour in to a large mixing bowl.
2. Grate the butter in to the flour and add a pinch of salt.
3. Combine the flour and butter to form a breadcrumb consistency.
4. Add 4 tbsps water and using a dough hook attachment on a food processor, or kneading gently, combine until a dough ball forms. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile…
Ingredients for the filling:
250g peeled artichoke, chopped finely
50g butter
3 fresh bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
100mls milk
100g spinach
Generous pinch of nutmeg
Salt & pepper
2 eggs
100g Cheddar Cheese
150mls natural yoghurt
Method for the filling:
1. Finely chop the onion, artichoke, & garlic.
2. Melt the butter in large saucepan on the hob.
3. Add the onion, artichoke, garlic and bay leaves to the melted butter & soften for around 10 minutes.
4. Add the milk, nutmeg, salt, pepper and spinach and simmer gently until the spinach has wilted. Remove from the heat.
5. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and, using a fork, whisk in the yoghurt.
6. Grate the cheese in to the artichoke mixture and stir, it will melt slightly.
Method for the blind bake:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Remove the pastry from the fridge, flour a surface and roll out the pastry until it’s large enough to cover a flan case or quiche dish.
2. Butter the flan case generously, and press the pastry in to all the corners.
3. Make gentle fork holes in the base, cover with a sheet of baking parchment and fill with baking beans.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the parchment and baking beans & bake for a further 5-6 minutes until the base is no longer moist and may begin to brown slightly.
Method for baking the Tart:
1. Once the pastry has been blind baked, remove the bay leaves and spread the artichoke mixture across the base, then pour the egg and yoghurt mixture on top. Gently mix.
2. Use the bay leaves to decorate the top of the flan, and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the top of the flat is browning and the egg is cooked through.
Serve with a side of Naked Autumn Slaw!
Ingredients for the Naked Slaw:
1 Carrot
1 Cylindra Beetroot (It’s a long thing one, but a regular one would do!)
1/4 Red Cabbage
1/2 Pomegranate
Handful of Walnuts
Method for the Slaw:
1. Finely slice the red cabbage in to a salad bowl.
2. Grate in the carrot & beetroot.
3. Halve a pomegranate and tap out the seeds into the bowl.
4. Chop a handful of walnuts and add to the bowl.
5. Gently combine the ingredients.
Delicious… a match made in heaven! Let me know how you get on with your Jerusalem Artichokes… !! PS, they are not the same thing as the other artichokes that come in jars, in fact, they’re not actually artichokes at all… but I realise that’s not in the least bit helpful!
Leave me some lovely comments, it’s always so good to hear from you… and you’ve always got fab ideas!
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