The freshly dug sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes) look so tender and crisp in Northwest Farmers Markets right now, I couldn’t resist buying several pounds last week–even though I wasn’t sure what I would do with them. My cookbook, Pacific Northwest Palate, Four Seasons of Great Cooking, features a sunchoke pancake, but other than that, I really haven’t given this vegetable its fair due over the years.

Sunchokes are so named because they are the tubers of a species of perennial sunflower native to temperate North America, and because they have a flavor reminiscent of an artichoke. They are crisp when raw and mildly nutty. When roasted, sautéed, or braised, the almost sweet nuttiness intensifies and the texture is akin to similarly prepared potatoes. They can be blended to an almost smooth puree, again like a potato.

Unlike a potato, however, the super knobby tubers are much too difficult to peel, so however you plan to cook them, the peel will have to be considered. It’s very tender though, so the key issue for me is the potentially unappetizing color: tan interior with brown skin. Also, the flavor, though mild, is too distinctive to play second fiddle to the other ingredients used in the dish. You don’t want to mask the flavor of the sunchoke and yet it does require a counterpoint, or two, or three.

There are at least two key ways to play up a key ingredient: accentuate and deviate. To accentuate means to go with the direction of the key ingredient. If it’s creamy, add creaminess; if it’s nutty, add nuttiness; if it’s sweet, add sweetness; if it’s smoky, add smokiness. This works to a point.

But almost always, you will also need to deviate. To deviate means to go against the direction of the key ingredient. If it’s creamy, add texture; if it’s nutty, add a clear, bright note; if it’s sweet, add something acidic; if it’s smoky, add a bright or sharp flavor. Flavor balancing and layering is more art than science, although science has a lot to say on the matter and makes for some fascinating reading.

In developing this soup, I went both with and against the flavor profile of the sunchokes. On the “with” side of the equation, toasted hazelnuts emphasize the nutty flavor of the sunchokes while adding a subtle, extra dimension to the overall nuttiness of the soup. Roasting emphasizes the nuttiness as well and is extended to the garlic and onions.  The creamy aspect is emphasized by pureeing the sunchokes and adding cream.

Sunchokes on their own become quickly tiresome, as they are rich, almost sweet, and one dimensional. That one dimension, however, is stunning when paired with certain contrasting flavor partners. On the “against” side of the equation, acidity is a must.

In this soup, lemon fills this supporting role nicely without adding too obtrusive a note of its own. Saltiness is also a must. Salt alone is fine, but here we use frizzled prosciutto, which gives the soup a localized burst of salt, meatiness, light smoky flavor, and a textural element. Herbaceousness, while not an absolute requirement, keeps the palate at full attention through every bite. And finally, a tangy, creamy, cold, goat cheese crèma accentuates AND counterbalances the richness of the sunchoke puree.

Roasted Garlic & Sunchoke Soup with Rosemary Hazelnut Pesto & Goat Cheese Crèma

This soup deserves diners who will appreciate the complex layering and sophisticated flavor pairing going on here. This is a gorgeous soup, satisfying on every level.

Ingredient Note   There is no need to peel the knobby sunchokes, and indeed, it is extremely laborious to attempt to do so. The skins are tender and will puree with hardly a trace.

2 pounds sunchokes, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch thick slices
1 medium yellow onion, peeled, cored, and quartered.
2 heads garlic, top ½ inch cut off to expose the garlic cloves
2 tablespoons cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
4-5 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
fine sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Garnishes
Rosemary Hazelnut Pesto  
Goat Cheese Crèma (recipe below)
Frizzled Prosciutto (recipe below)
1/4 cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted, skinned, and coarsely chopped
finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1. Prepare Rosemary Hazelnut Pesto, Goat Cheese Crèma, Frizzled Prosciutto, and toasted, chopped hazelnuts. Reserve.
2. On an edged baking sheet, arrange the sunchokes, onion wedges, and whole garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, and roast at 375° for 35-45 minutes, until fully tender.
3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and when the garlic heads are cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic from the papery shell and add to a blender, along with the sunchokes, onions, and 2 cups of chicken stock. Liquefy, adding additional stock if necessary to obtain as smooth a mixture as possible.
4. In a 3½-quart saucepan, add the pureed vegetables and bring just to a simmer.
5. Add the cream and lemon juice and stir to combine. Add enough of the remaining chicken stock to acheive a creamy but not too thick consistency.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and additional lemon juice if necessary, until a flavor balance is achieved.
7. To serve, ladle 1½ cups of soup into each bowl, drizzle thin Rosemary Hazelnut Pesto and Goat Cheese Crèma over the top, and then top with a small mound of Frizzled Prosciutto, a scattering of chopped hazelnuts, and a sprinkling of freshly grated lemon zest.  

Makes about 8 cups.

Goat Cheese Crèma

I have to be careful when I have this crèma on hand, as I seem to make up any excuse to dip into it. It’s excellent drizzled over hot or cold soups, enchiladas, scrambled eggs, and even spaetzle (my new favorite pasta). The goat cheese tang is mild here, with the sour cream adding the rest of the tang.

2 ounces mild, fresh goat cheese (chevre)
2 cloves peeled garlic, pressed or minced
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of a processor fitted with the steel blade, process the goat cheese and garlic to a coarse paste.  Add the cream a little at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl a few times, until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
2. Continue processing until the cream just begins to thicken. Add the sour cream and process just to incorporate. Add salt to taste.
3. Transfer to a container (preferably a squeeze bottle with a tip), cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Frizzled Prosciutto

This is my new favorite “bacon” garnish. It’s much quicker to prepare than bacon, more delicate in texture, and more intensely flavored.

6 slices lightly smoked, thinly sliced prosciutto
1-2 tablespoons light olive oil

1. Slice the prosciutto crosswise into scant ¼-inch wide strips.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a nonstick skillet and set over medium-high heat.
3. Add the prosciutto and sauté until crisp, stirring occasionally. Add the additional olive oil if you need it.
4. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Makes about ½ cup.

I’m intrigued and inspired by the creative ways in which Pacific Rim and Northwest chefs are incorporating spaetzle into their dishes these days. This Old World noodle-dumpling is suddenly being elevated to lofty heights, for perhaps some of the following compelling reasons:

• It’s much easier to make spaetzle than fresh pasta, and yet they have similar characteristics.
• Spaetzle lends itself to partnership with a wide range of companion flavors–from subtle to bold.
• When made with care, spaetzle is delicious.
• Spaetzle has a wonderful chewiness.
• Spaetzle has an endearing homey quality. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
• Spaetzle is under utilized outside of its traditional context.

I encountered several inspired spaetzle dishes while dining out in Portland, Oregon this past winter. Each of the following thoughtful, soulful dishes merit a deep bow to the creator:

• Butternut Squash & Gruyere Dumplings with Parsnip Puree, Brussels Sprouts, Hazelnuts, & Sherry Brown Butter (Wildwood)
• Crispy Caraway Spaetzle with Roasted Winter Root Vegetables, Soft Goat Cheese, Toasted Walnuts & Apple-Squash Puree (Wildwood)
• Crispy Sweetbreads, Chestnut Spätzle, Local Mushrooms & Kidney Mustard Sauce (Paley’s Place)
• Fried Pork Shank with Spaetzle, Brussels Sprouts & Agrodolce Onions (Clyde Common)
• Grilled Oregon Lamb Chops with Spiced Lamb Crépinette, Lavender-Pear Chutney, Winter Herb Spätzle, & Lamb Jus (Bluehour)
• Sliced Duck, Sour Cream Spaetzle & Cranberries  (Park Kitchen)
• Spaetzle, Wild Mushrooms & Broccoli Rabb with Thai Yellow Curry Sauce (LunaCafe)

Did you catch that last one?  :-) Even though you can’t physically pop into our virtual café, as you can these other fine restaurants, with just a little effort, you can be eating this spaetzle dish in your own kitchen.  And it’s definitely worth the effort.

INGREDIENT NOTE   With local farmers markets opening across the country this weekend (Portland Farmers Market, here I come!), we will begin to see a glorious array of early spring greens, especially the spring raabs. You can use any of the raabs in this dish, but broccoli raab and it’s close cousins are especially good here:

• Broccoli raab (also called rapini) is a leafy green in the turnip family. The tender stalk, leaves, and florets are all edible. The flavor is full and a little bitter. It’s popular in Italy and many parts of Asia.
• Broccolini is similar to broccoli but with small florets and long, thin stalks. It is a cross between broccoli and kai-lan, which is Chinese broccoli. The flavor is a sweet cross between broccoli and asparagus.
• Broccolette is a cross between Chinese kale and broccoli. The edible stems are elongated and topped with tender broccoli shoots.

Spaetzle, Wild Mushroom & Broccoli Rabb with Thai Yellow Curry Sauce

This dish was inspired by Roy Yamaguchi, chef-author of Roy’s Fish and Seafood: Recipes from the Pacific Rim. In his creation, a spaetzle-vegetable medley serves as the base for a steamed sea bass. However, here, the combination of toothsome spaetzle, local spring mushrooms, broccoli raab, and spicy curry sauce are equally satisfying on their own.

Basic Spaetzle  (about 4 cups prepared)

Thai Yellow Curry Sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced or pressed garlic
2 teaspoons peeled, minced fresh ginger
3 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste (available at City Market in Portland, Oregon)
1 teaspoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup canned coconut milk (stir well before measuring)
finely grated zest of 1 medium lime
2-3 teaspoons fresh lime juice, to taste
fine sea salt, to taste

Wild Mushrooms & Broccoli Raab 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 ounces pancetta, ¼-inch diced (two ¼-inch thick slices) (not essential if you want a vegetarian dish)
1 teaspoon minced or pressed garlic (1 large clove)
1 teaspoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 pound wild mushrooms, such as hedgehogs, chanterelles, baby shiitakes, and/or baby portabellas, rough sliced (about 4 cups sliced)
1 small bunch broccoli raab (rapini), broccolini or broccolette (or other spring rabb of your choice), cut into bite-size pieces, briefly blanched in boiling water, refreshed in ice water, and well drained
-or-
large handful kale, sliced 1-inch wide on the diagonal (about ½ large bunch)
fine sea salt, to taste

1. Prepare the spaetzle through Step 8 and keep warm over low heat.
2. To make the sauce, in a small sauté pan, heat the oil and add the garlic and ginger. Sauté to soften somewhat, but don’t brown.
3. Stir in the curry paste, brown sugar, coconut milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Add salt to taste. Keep warm, partially covered, over very low heat.
4. In a large skillet or wok set over medium-high heat, heat the oil, and sauté the pancetta for a minute or two, until it releases most of its fat. If there is more than 4 tablespoons of total fat in the pan at this point, pour off the excess.
5. Add the garlic and ginger, and sauté for a minute without browning.
6. Add the spaetzle and mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are beginning to release their juices, about 2 minutes.
7. Add the blanched broccoli raab or kale and toss to heat through.
8. Add the curry sauce and toss to combine.
9. Season to taste with salt and serve in wide-rimmed pasta bowls.

Serves 4.

I was surprised and thrilled last Saturday at the Seattle University District Farmers Market at how much fresh produce is available this early in the season. Wow!

This particular farmers market is one of the few in the region that is open all winter. This past week there were sparkling bundles of tender chickweed, plump sunflower seed sprouts, tiny yellow flowering bok choy, sorrel, baby arugula, dandelion greens, and mint. I bought way too much and then had to quickly devise a few salads to use the bounty.

Although I didn’t see the Bluebird Grain Farms table, from which to replenish my dwindling supply of their most excellent Emmer farro, I had enough on hand to create a lovely textural and flavor pairing with tiny French green lentils. To these, I added some of the key components of a traditional Middle Eastern Tabbouleh salad: parsley, mint, tomato, green onion, lemon, and olive oil.

Then to heighten the flavor a bit, I sautéed diced, smoky chorizo sausage and tossed in red and green bell peppers . To that I added a bright Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette and my new stash of tender spring greens. Viola! A gorgeous and very tasty spring salad.

Early Spring Salad of Lentils & Farro with Chorizo, Bell Peppers & Baby Greens

This refreshing salad makes a memorable start to a special occasion dinner or a simple meal on its own accompanied by whole grain walnut bread. Although this is an easy salad to make, you will want to prepare the farro and lentils ahead, even a day or two in advance if you wish.

1 cup cooked Bluebird Grain Farms Emmer Farro, or other farro (instructions below)
1 cup cooked French green lentils (instructions below) (Whole Foods carries these in the bins)

1 large Italian plum tomato, cored, seeded and diced (1 cup diced)
½ large green bell pepper, cored, ribbed, and diced (½ cup diced)
½ large red bell pepper, cored, ribbed, and diced (½ diced)
2 green onions, trimmed, and minced   
small handful parsley, minced (½ cup minced)
4 mint leaves, minced

Chorizo
2 tablespoons cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1 Spanish dried chorizo sausage, diced (about 2 ounces or ½ cup diced) (City Market in Portland, Oregon sells an excellent Spanish chorizo called Palacios; 4 small sausages per package for $8.50)

Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon wild flower honey
½ cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Spring Greens
2 cups of two or more of the following: chickweed, sunflower seed sprouts, flowering bok choy, baby arugula, baby spinach spring salad mix

grated zest of 1 lemon
freshly ground black pepper

1. To prepare the farro, in a large saucepan, bring 3 cups of chicken or vegetable stock or water to a boil and add ¾ cup of farro. Boil for 5 minutes, cover, and simmer for about 50 minutes, until the grain is tender and nicely chewy. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again thoroughly and store in a covered container in the refrigerator until needed. (You will have about 1½ cups of cooked farro.)
2. To prepare the lentils, in a large saucepan, add ½ cup lentils and water to cover. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the lentils are tender but still have some bite. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again thoroughly and store in a covered container in the refrigerator until needed.  (You will have about 1¼ cups cooked lentils.)
3. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup each of cooked farro and green lentils. (Save the remainder for another use.) Add tomato, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, green onion, parsley, and mint. Reserve.
4. To prepare the chorizo, in a sauté pan, heat the olive oil and add the chorizo. Sauté for a minute or less, until the chorizo is chewy-crisp and releases some of its fat (turning the olive oil red). Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Reserve the oil.
5. To prepare the Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette, in a small bowl whisk together the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon, and honey. Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. To serve the salad, toss the farro and lentil mixture with about ¼ cup of the vinaigrette. Season to taste. Place 1 cup of the salad in the center of a large serving plate. Repeat for a second serving.
7. In a mixing bowl, toss the spring greens with a few tablespoons of the remaining vinaigrette and arrange the greens around the farro and lentil salad.
8. Drizzle a little of the chorizo oil on each of the plates, divide the sautéed chorizo between the plates, and grate lemon rind and black pepper over each serving.

Makes 2 dinner salads or 4 appetizer salads.

I have loved rhubarb for as long as I can remember. As kids, my brother, Daniel, and I would pilfer it from between the pickets of the deteriorating white fence that separated our yard from the neighbor’s. We thought of it as “high crime,” stealing if you will, but as I look back on our shenanigans now, I realize that no one but us gave a darn about that forgotten patch of rhubarb.

Because it was stolen, the only way we were able to eat it (without being found out) was raw and behind a prickly mass of bushes to boot. No one I knew made rhubarb pie when I was growing up, and they certainly didn’t make rhubarb mousse, rhubarb parfait, rhubarb crisp, or rhubarb-strawberry daiquiris. Those were the bad-ole-days.

Even though I have a lot of enthusiasm for this highly acidic fruit cum vegetable (the U.S. customs court of Buffalo, New York officially declared rhubarb to be a fruit, not a vegetable, on July 17, 1947 because of the way it is used in American households), I realize others among you may have to be led gently to the trough.

Perhaps I can arouse your local pride by telling you that Washington State produces 90% of the nation’s supply of hothouse rhubarb and over 50% of the fresh field rhubarb. Sumner, Washington is the rhubarb capitol of the U.S, for quantity but also for quality. The prized Crimson Red and Johnson Red varieties are grown only in Washington.

However, rhubarb production is on the decline, with only 2000 acres of the crimson beauty planted around the country. If demand and corresponding prices don’t increase in coming years, we may see this lovely vegetable fade into oblivion. For now though, most local farmers markets in Washington and Oregon are overflowing with fresh rhubarb. I buy an armload each week and am discovering many wonderful ways to use it, from Rhubarb-Infused Tequila (makes fabulous Rhubarb Margaritas) to Spring Rhubarb & Apple Crisp with Toasted Hazelnut Streusel (next post). I don’t want rhubarb season to end!

…

Season

Rhubarb is one of the first fresh crops of the Northwest spring. Hothouse rhubarb begins appearing in February, while the field crop arrives in late April. Local rhubarb used to be available through June only, but availability depends on when the summer heat hits. Last year (2008) for instance, you could find fresh rhubarb in the farmers markets all the way into September.

Selection

Fresh rhubarb should be firm, crisp and tender. It will snap crisply if bent; it should not be limp or flabby. Rhubarb is at its best when young and slender, no more than 1-inch thick; by the time the stalks are green and humongous the fruit has developed a lot of coarseness and too much acidity.

Fresh rhubarb will keep, wrapped in a plastic bag, for several days in the refrigerator.

Preparation

Cooking

Think of rhubarb as an incredibly versatile cooking fruit; its special tartness is a perfect foil for all forms of sugar.

When you are creating your own rhubarb recipes, keep in mind that the fruit contains a good deal of liquid. Cut the rhubarb into chunks or dice and cook it, covered, over very low heat without any water at all for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on whether you want some chunkiness or a mush. This fruit disintegrates all too easily.

Another thing to consider, especially if you are developing new recipes, is that the gorgeous color you see when you buy rhubarb may pale when you cook it, and especially if you combine the cooked rhubarb with a lot of cream, egg whites, and so forth, which will also dilute the color. Rhubarb soufflé is a ghastly muddy-pink, though it tastes wonderful; rhubarb mousse is a barely there shell-pink. This frustrates me considerably.

The best bet is to use rhubarb sauce, which is brilliant-red, over and around the other ingredients. Otherwise, you must compensate with some other coloring agent, strawberries perhaps, or in a savory sauce, tomato paste, brown sauce, or even a bit of caramelized sugar. No, you may not use red food coloring; that’s cheating. J

Great Partners

I particularly like rhubarb with maple syrup (another spring crop, from Vermont and Canada), brown sugar, and honey. It also has a natural affinity for many of natures other fruity-spicy flavors, such as strawberry, mango, apricot, peaches, raisins, orange, lemon, grapefruit, fresh ginger, cardamom, cloves, juniper, saffron, and anise. And also for anything toasty (such as wheat germ, hazelnuts, walnuts, and oatmeal), anything creamy (such as ice cream, cheesecake, and custard), anything caramel (such as caramel, burnt sugar, and brown sugar), and cinnamon, especially cinnamon-hot (as in those little red candies that are so addictive). Add to these the floral elements of rose, lavender, and vanilla, and the herbal elements of rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. And we can’t forget almonds, especially toasted almonds.

It is effective as an ingredient in sauces and chutneys meant to accompany “sweet” meats, such as pork, ham, and sausage, and also turkey, chicken, and yes, even lamb and game meats. It is also an efective foil for oilyu fish, such as mackeral. With all this going for it, why don’t we eat more of it?

Who’s to say; perhaps cooks just don’t know what to do with rhubarb after they’ve made the 1 or 2 obligatory pies. This I would like to remedy. Armed with this fresh primer and a bevy of soon-to-be-published recipes, your own rhubarb horizons will hopefully be expanded. Try it, you’ll like it!

Food Pairing
Khymos
Culinary Artistry
The Flavor Bible

LunaCafe Recipes

Rhubarb Cardamom Lime Muffins

Spring Rhubarb & Apple Crisp with Toasted Hazelnut Streusel

Apple-Cider-Brined Tenderloin of Pork with Rhubarb Deglazing Sauce

Goat Cheese Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Syrup & Basil Syrup (coming later)
Rhubarb Margarita with Rhubarb-Infused Silver Tequila (coming later)
Rhubarb Lemon-Lime Cooler (coming later)
Rhubarb Strawberry Sorbet with Candied Orange Zest (coming later)
Rhubarb Ginger Sauce (coming later)
Rhubarb, Ginger, & Chile Chutney (coming later)
Rhubarb & Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake (coming later)
Rhubarb Lemon-Lime Cooler (coming later)
Crimson Rhubarb Mouse with Strawberry Gin Sauce (PNP)
Crumpets with Ricotta and Rhubarb Sauce (PNP)
Grilled Lamb Chops with Fresh Thyme and Rhubarb Chutney (PNP)
Hazelnut-Maple Cheesecake with Rhubarb-Cinnamon Hot Sauce (PNP)
Rhubarb-Cinnamon Hot Sauce (PNP)
Rhubarb Honey Sauce (PNP)
Rhubarb Mint Sauce (PNP)
Rhubarb-Oatmeal Bar Cookies (PNP)
Rhubarb Sorbet (PNP)
Rhubarb Strawberry Parfait (PNP)
Rhubarb Syrup (PNP)
Roast Tenderloin of Pork with Rhubarb Sauce (PNP)
Souffled Omelet with Rhubarb-Cinnamon Hot Sauce (PNP)
Rhubarb Cobbler (PNP)
Rhubarb Crisp (PNP)
NOTE PNP = Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking

Washington Rhubarb Growers Association
Rhubarb Hunts a Place Beyond the Pie
Rhubarb Paper
Little Tastes of the Dahlia: Rhubarb
Lousy Weather is Good for Rhubarb