This is Richard Buckley's full recipe for the Jerusalem Artichoke soup. For a simple lunch, simply leave out the garnish. Serve with a good white bread or focaccia. Reproduced with permission
25millilitresExtra virgin olive olive oilplus extra to drizzle
1Banana shallot slicedor small onion
25millilitresBlack truffle oil
Sea salt
1/2lemon juiced
FOR THE MUSHROOM GARNISH
125gramsChestnut mushrooms
10millilitresExtra virgin olive oil
20gramsbanana shallots peeled and finely slicedor small onion
sea salt
25millilitresdry white wine
Instructions
Make the velouté: Fill a bowl with 1 litre (1¾ pints/4 cups) of cold water and add the juice of half a lemon.
Using a mandolin, slice the sunchokes quickly and thinly and place straight into the water.
Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the shallot. Gently fry until just translucent and going soft.
Meanwhile, drain the artichokes and pat dry. Add them to the saucepan and fry briefly, then add the stock and bring to the boil.
Simmer gently with a lid on for 15–25 minutes until the artichokes are so soft they break between your fingertips.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Next make the mushroom garnish. Chop the mushrooms into 5mm (¼-inch) dice.
Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan (skillet) and add the shallots. Cook gently for about 2 minutes until just soft, but not brown.
Add the diced mushrooms and a generous pinch of salt and cook until the mushrooms release their juices and these have evaporated.
Add the wine and cook until the wine has completely evaporated.
Remove the mushrooms from the heat and check and adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a small bowl and keep warm while you finish the velouté.
Transfer the velouté to a blender or food processor and add the truffle oil and a little salt. Blend until silky smooth and then pass through a sieve. Check and adjust the seasoning and truffle oil flavour, which should not be prominent but should give a richness to the flavour.
Pour the velouté into 4 soup bowls or mugs, add a spoon of the mushroom duxelle (chopped mushroom) to each bowl and a drizzle of olive oil or truffle oil and serve with the everyday bread.
Notes
For a basic stock, slice 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 large stick of celery, 1/2 fennel bulb. Add to a pan with 1 star anise, 1 gr cordiander seeds, 1o black peppercorns, 10 gr parsley, 3 gr thyme, 1 bay leaf and 1.2 litres of water. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from the heat. Allow to cool, then strain through fine sieve.