- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 1 hour
- Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
A lovely little vegetarian dish with all the goodness that winter has to offer. Actually sunchokes (aka Jerusalem artichokes or aardperen in Dutch) are in season from November till march so I guess it's an autumn-winter-spring dish.
You do need a few pans for this dish though: a skillet for the mushrooms, a baking tray for the sunchokes and a blender for the sauce.
Ingredients
Sauce Verte (green sauce)
- 1 cup day old bread, crust removed
- 2 large handfuls fresh spinach, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch (± 4 tbsp) fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch (± 2 tbsp) dille, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch (± 2 tbsp) chives, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch (± 1 tbsp) tarragon, finely chopped
- 2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped, more to taste
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp lemon, juice
- 1.2 cup olive oil
- salt & pepper , to taste
Sunchokes
- 300 g Sunchokes, washed thoroughly
- 1.5 tbsp Olive oil
- flakey sea salt, to taste
Mushrooms
- 300 g Oyster mushrooms, brushed clean and torn into large chunks
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 15 g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter
- pepper & salt, to taste
To serve
- 2 eggs, poached or soft boiled
Instructions
Sauce Verte (20 minutes + at least 1 hour resting time)
- 1)
Place the bread pieces in a small bowl and cover with just enough water to soak it. Let it soak for 10 minutes, then squeeze out the excess water.
- 2)
Add the bread and the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- 3)
Transfer to a bowl, taste, season with pepper and salt. Cover and let it chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge to allow the flavours to meld.
Sunchokes (± 45 minutes)
- 1)
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add a good pinch of salt and the sunchokes. Boil them for ± 8-9 minutes until you can just prick a fork in the, be careful not to overcook or they will get mushy. Drain and let steam in the pan for 5 minutes to lose some of the moisture.
- 2)
Drizzle the olive oil on a baking tray, you can line it with baking paper if you like for easier cleaning but I like the crispiness the edges get baking directly on the tray. Divide the sunchokes on the tray and toss to coat with the oil. Add a small extra drop of oil in a corner of the baking tray, dip the bottom of a flat glass or bowl into the oil (this will prevent sticking). Now squish the sunchokes with the glass until about half the thickness making sure it stays in 1 piece. Don’t flatten too hard or they will fall apart. Repeat with all the sunchokes.
- 3)
Roast for 30-35 minutes until crispy and golden.
Mushrooms (± 20 minutes)
- 1)
While the sunchokes are frying you can also work on the mushrooms. Heat a heavy based skillet or frying pan and add the mushrooms to a dry pan, medium heat.
- 2)
Let them brown for a few minutes without moving. After ± 3 minutes flip the mushrooms and brown on the other side without moving. This will make the moisture evaporate easier out of the mushrooms.
- 3)
Once both sides are slightyy brown add 1 tbsp olive oil and a small knob of butter. Toss to coat and let the mushrooms caramelise in these juices for another 3-4 minutes. Season with pepper and salt and you’re good to go!
To serve
- 1)
Divide the sauce over the bowls, then lay the sunchokes and mushrooms on top. Season well with pepper and salt and a drizzle of olive oil, serve with a slice of lemon on the side. Serve with a poached or soft boiled egg. Would also be great with grilled chicken or pan fried salmon for example.
