Sunchoke, Turnip + Leek Soup
Post by Molly
Just as spring began to poke it’s little head out of the dirt, I unearthed the very last of my winter vegetables from the refrigerator. If you ever visit Nash’s produce stand at the Sunday market, you know about their giant bag of root vegetables—the four pound gift that keeps on giving. For less than $10, you can stock up on beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, sunchokes, turnips, and rutagabas, freshly plucked from the Dungeness Valley soil. The bag will last you until you simply forget how to cook with anything else.
When I came upon my root medley remnants, I found a handful of turnips and sunchokes — the often overlooked members of the root family. Anna and I only recently started experimenting with turnips, and the mild sweetness that releases after they’re cooked seemed like a nice combination with the earthy sunchokes. Caraway seed and a splash of white wine made for a bright and delightfully sour soup, perfect for a suddenly rainy spring night.
Prep time: 15 mins / Cook time: 45 mins (the longer, the better) / Serves 2 for dinner
WHAT YOU NEED
For soup:
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 leeks, diced
- 1/2 tsp. caraway seed
- 6-8 sunchokes, peeled and cubed
- 3-4 turnips, peeled and cubed
- 1/4 cup white wine
- Bay leaf
- 2.5 cups water
- Salt and pepper to taste
For garnish:
- Few sprigs of dill, chopped
- Dollop of Greek yogurt
- Croutons (see also: Leftover Bread Series)
WHAT YOU DO
- If making homemade croutons, preheat oven to 425
- Saute minced garlic, leeks, and caraway over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add sunchokes and turnips and saute for a few minutes with garlicky mixture
- Add white wine and stir until nearly all liquid has evaporated
- Add water, bay leaf, and salt and pepper, tasting as you go
- Bring pot to a rolling boil, then simmer with lid on for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally
- While soup is cooking, tear small pieces of stale bread, place on cookie sheet, and drizzle with a nice pour of olive oil and some salt
- Bake for 10 minutes, stirring often to be sure they don’t burn
- When flavor is to your liking and all vegetables are tender, remove soup from heat and blend with an immersion blender
- Ladle hot soup into bowls, sprinkle with croutons, fresh herbs, and a dollop of Greek yogurt
