Jordskokker Soup

So my awesome friend Line from Denmark translated this recipe for me. It is seriously so good. I had it when I visited Denmark and then I wanted to eat it all the time but sunchokes are only in season in late winter it seems so february/march seems like the time to make this. In Denmark, they call these root vegetables jordskokker, but here we call them sunchokes or jerusalem artichokes. They are the root of a small variety of sunflower, which I have tried without much success to grow. My flowers bloom but I get tiny roots which aren't worth the effort of digging and peeling.

Sunchoke Soup

1 lb sunchokes

1/2 onion

1 big clove garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

3 sprigs thyme

1 quart chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

bacon

chives

Peel sunchokes and roughly chop sunchokes into large chunks, setting aside one or two small ones for garnish. Peel and chop onion and garlic as well.

Heat olive oil in large-ish pot. Add sunchokes, onion, and garlic, and saute without browning for a few minutes. Add thyme, and let get all aromatic and yum.

Add chicken broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add heavy cream and simmer for a few more minutes.

Take the pan off heat and blend using hand blender (or transfer in batches to regular blender) and after blending season with salt and pepper. Don't add salt until after blending or it will never get smooth, don't ask me why.

Fry up a few strips of bacon (or chorizo but I think bacon is best because bacon is awesome) until crisp and chop into bits.

Chop reserved sunchokes into small bits and marinate in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper, and chop and add chives.

Serve in soup bowls, topped with raw marinated sunchokes and bacon. You could also add scallops but I haven't tried that because bacon is where it's at.

note: I typed this recipe while drunk so apologies if there are typos/other errors.