"The Law of Like": Stovetop sunchoks and artichokes

When Annalena was studying anthropology (yes, there WAS a stab at that), she came to the point where she had to wade her way through Sir Fraser's "The Golden Bough." Those of you who know this work will be smiling and shaking your heads. Yes, ALL of it. To those of you who don't, let's just say it's big and rough going - sort of like -
Ok, I'm not going there. In any event, early on, there is a discussion of a rule of magic, "the law of like." It says exactly what you'll think it does: things that are alike, have the same properties. Things that are alike go together, and so on, and so forth. It's the basis of the development of what we (well, not ALL of us), call simulacra, and things like that. I will not get more philosophical than that; rather, I'm just setting up for a theory about an oddity in cooking, that works.
Since I have started liking, and in fact loving, jerusalem artichokes (the "sunchokes" above), and looking for recipes, I find a lot of them where they are combined with plain old artichokes. Now, on a very basic level, this does not make any sense. Jerusalem artichoks are tubers. I have written about them before. They are the roots of sunflowers. They are firm, and hard and crispy, sort of like raw potatoes, and you treat them as such when you cook them. Artichokes you know. And, no, they are not related in any way, manner or form, other than their name, and no one knows where the "artichoke" part of jerusalem artichokes came from. I certainly don't, and I am NOT consulting Sir Fraser's tome to find out. I'm sure I won't either.
But, for all of that the two work together beautifuly in foods. I make, occasinally, a soup of the two of them that Alice Waters developed. I have seen a salad that I don't find particularly appealing. And then, not that long ago, this one. A recipe for the two, combined, in stove top/oven cooking, which is one of my favorite things.

This is a really good recipe, and, it's odd to say something like this in March, but jerusalem artichokes are "going out of season" soon, so get them while you can. They also use one of the few vegetables that I find acceptable, in purchased frozen form: the artichokes. This is one where I use them because, prepping the artichokes for this recipe would be too damn expensive, and too much work. So here goes.

You will need a pound of jerusalem artichokes. That's about 5 or 6 nice sized tubers. Also, a package of frozen artichoke hearts. They come quartered. Let them thaw. You also need a couple of good sized shallots, or half an onion, and then a quarter cup of white wine, and the juice of half a lemon. Two tablespoons of olive oil. Finally, two tablespoons of butter, the unsalted kind.

Let me digress for a minute here to explain my system of measurements here. This recipe originally called for 3 tablespoons of vermouth, and one tablespoon of lemon juice. You CAN measure these out and be precise about it; however, four tablespoons is a quarter cup. I find it easier to pour stuff into a measuring cup, from a large bottle, than into a tablespoon. Also, if you are going to squeeze fresh lemon juice until you get a tablespoon, well, you're going to get frustrated. I KNOW you are. Also, note the change from vermouth to white wine. Use vermouth if you have it,but most people don't have it around. They do have wine. Your call.

Now that you've collected the ingredients, preheat your oven to 400. Let's prep the jerusalem artichokes, by washing them to get any dirt off (remember , they're underground tubers), and then cut them into chunks.

Get a wide pan, that you know is safe for the oven (no nonsticks here). Get the olive oil shimmering hot. If you don't know what that means, then put the oil in the pan at medium heat, and watch it. Eventually, and it won't take long, you'll see almost a "wave" or ripple across the oil. Now you're ready.

Put the sunchokes into the oil, together with a double pinch of salt (note to the measurement minded: a pinch is an eight of a teaspoon. You want a quarter teaspoon here). Let the sunchoks cook away for about two minutes then turn them, and cook for another 2-3. You should see the start of browning . If you don't , cook a little more. Now add the artichokes, with another pinch of salt, stir everything together, and then put the pan in the oven, for twenty minutes.

When you come back, PROTECT YOUR HAND and take the pan out. There will be much more browning, and the dish will look beautiful. Now, we're going to do the finishing. Put the cooked veggies into a bowl, and then dump the shallots or onions into the pan. You may need to add the tiniest amount of oil here, and cook them until they just start to brown. MAYBE two minutes. Now add the wine, and stir, picking up the brown goodies in the pan. The wine will almost evaporate. For this next step, lower the heat as low as it can go. Then put in the lemon juice and add the butter, in small pieces (4 or 5 of them), waiting until each piece melts until you put in the next one (this helps with a little emulsification). When that's done, put the veggies in, stir it all together, and add some salt and pepper.

ALL DONE. One of the lovely features of this recipe, I have found, is that you can do it ahead of time and reheat it. Originally, it called for the addition of parsley and a little fresh tarragon. Tarragon and Annalena are not on good terms, but it does seem to show up in a lot of artichoke recipes, so if you're a fan, do not let me stop you.

Try this. It will not be long before we'll be eating ramps and fiddleheads and early spring tasties, and it will be time to bid a short farewell to sunchokes. You may be a convert, if you're not already, after you eat this.