Jersusalem Artichokes with Black Beans

A few weeks ago I went searching for Jerusalem artichokes and found them at Global Foods, which is probably St. Louis' best international food store by a long shot.  I promptly forgot about these funky-looking tubers in my fridge, but they seemed to hold up pretty well even after a month.  However, I suspected they wouldn't last much longer, so this past weekend was the time to put them to work.

Also known as sunchokes, Jerusalem artichokes are neither from Jerusalem, nor artichockes.  They are the root of the perennial flowering forb Helianthus tuberosus, a member of the sunflower family, Asteraceae.  This is a diverse family that includes several significant food and horticulture crops, such as lettuce, true artichokes, chamomile, chicory, echinacea, marigolds, zinnias, and chrysanthemums. (It also includes some despised pest plants, such as ragweed.)

The root of H. tuberosus resembles ginger, and the flesh has the crisp quality of a water chestnut or jicama, as compared to the starchy, waxy quality of a potato.  The flavor isn't strong, but has a distinct, earthy sweetness.  H. tuberosus is native to North America, including the present-day United States, but cultivation has somewhat obscured its original range.  The exact date of domestication does not appear to be well-established, although the plant was being actively cultivated by Native Americans at the time of European contact.  H. tuberosus was transported to England in the early seventeenth century, and like sunflowers it now grows quite successfully in Europe.  Incidentally, a carbohydrate in Jerusalem artichokes causes--ahem--flatulence.  One of the plant's early English cultivators observed, "they stirre and cause a filthie loathsome wind within the bodie."

Starting Point: Jerusalem Artichokes with Black Beans by Carol Gelles.

This is fairly simple recipe using one small package of Jerusalem artichokes (about six small roots). After washing the roots thoroughly, I used a paring knife to slice off the tips of the knobs, where dirt can accumulate.  I then diced the root, leaving the skin on.  (Like potato skin, the 'choke skin is both hearty and edible.)  This yielded about 2 cups of diced 'chokes.

I heated 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  I then added 1/2 cup of sliced green onions (white and green parts only), which is my usual ramp substitute.  I cooked the onions, stirring, for about a minute and then added the 'chokes, 1/2 cup of my New World Harvest Vegetable Broth, and 1 tablespoon of pure cranberry juice (not cocktail).  I cooked the mixture, stirring, for about five minutes.  I then added 1 cup of black beans, which I had cooked the previous day from quick-soaked dry beans.

The resulting vegetable-legume medley is quite hearty, and very crisp even days later.  I recommend adding plenty of salt and pepper--or perhaps some thyme--to taste.

New World Harvest Broth

A lot of the recipes that I make call for vegetable broth.  Boxed broth keeps pretty well, but it's not cheap, and I never seem to have it around when I need it.  So I decided to make my own and freeze it for later.

This broth isn't based on any particular recipe.  If you don't own a juicer--and I don't--it's still pretty easy to make broth from whole or sliced vegetables.  I used:

• 1 medium tomato (halved)
• 1 medium jicama (peeled and cut into four or five chunks)
• 2 medium-small sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into two to three chunks each)
• 2 medium-small zucchini (peeled)
• 1 bunch (8 or so) green onions (white and light green parts only)
• 1 8 oz. package (10 or so) button mushrooms (roughly chopped)

Everything on this list is of New World origin, except for the green onions, which as I've mentioned before are my go-to substitute for ramps (wild leeks).

I threw all of the vegetables into a 4-quart pot with 8 cups of water and brought the mixture to a boil.  I then simmered covered on low heat for an hour, followed by another hour uncovered.  I then strained the vegetables and broth through a fine strainer into a large, deep bowl, discarding the cooked vegetables.

I covered the broth and allowed it to cool for about 30 minutes. I then transferred 1 cup portions into individual heavy-duty 1-pint freezer storage bags.  I placed a large cookie sheet in the freezer and laid the broth-filled bags on them so that they would freeze flat.  After an overnight freeze, I was able to stack the flat bags to save space.  This recipe yielded about 5 1/2 cups of broth all told.

It's generally not advisable to thaw and refreeze broth, so freezing in these relatively small portions works great.  You can place a single bag in a microwave-safe bowl and zap it for 30 to 60 seconds to thaw it as needed for use in recipes.