SIMPLE, KNOBBLY PLEASURES

Jerusalem Artichokes

I've always loved Jerusalem Artichokes, those bulbous brown knobbly tubers with an unusual earthy, nutty flavour. My father used to grow them and we ate them freshly-dug from the garden. Because of their rather unsociable side-effects they were of course called 'Fartichokes' at home and that name has stuck....

They are no relation to the globe artichoke, nor do they hail from Jerusalem, but they taste delicious and make a wonderful silky, comforting autumnal soup. (I usually combine 50/50 artichokes and parsnips.) They are very versatile: use them like new potatoes or as part of a tray of roasted root veg, or in a gratin.

For a more sophisticated treatment, they can be served as a carpaccio - raw and thinly sliced - or deep-fried as crisps. Peel them and place in aciduated water to prevent disolouring if you're not using them immediately.

This from Ottolenghi is one of my favourite recipes using Jerusalem Artichokes (it's from his book 'Jerusalem'). It's simple and delicious. Serve with new potatoes or Mejadra

Roasted chicken with Jerusalem Artichokes and Lemon

• 450g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut into six lengthways (1.5cm thick wedges)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 8 chicken thighs, on the bone with the skin on, or a medium whole chicken, divided into four
• 12 banana shallots, peeled and halved lengthways
• 12 large garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 medium lemon, cut in half lengthways and then into very thin slices
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 50ml olive oil
• 150ml cold water
• 1 ½ tbsp pink peppercorns, slightly crushed
• 10g fresh thyme leaves
• 40g tarragon leaves, chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

1. Put the Jerusalem artichokes in a medium saucepan, cover with plenty of water and add half the lemon juice. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10–20 minutes, until tender but not soft. Drain and leave to cool.
2. Place the Jerusalem artichokes and all the remaining ingredients, excluding the remaining lemon juice and half of the tarragon, in a large mixing bowl and use your hands to mix everything together well. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, or for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 9. Arrange the chicken pieces, skin-side up, in the centre of a roasting tin and spread the remaining ingredients around the chicken. Roast for 30 minutes. Cover the tin with foil and cook for a further 15 minutes. At this point, the chicken should be completely cooked. Remove from the oven and add the reserved tarragon and lemon juice. Stir well, taste and add more salt if needed. Serve at once.