soup week: sunchoke soup with gorgonzola and honey crostini
Hi, y’all and welcome to Soup Week!
For those of you new to this giant bowl of fun, thirteen fantastic food bloggers and I are dedicating an entire week to nothing but soup. That’s right. We’re channeling the less abrasive side of soup making (Seinfield, anyone?) and stirring up elegant soups that will warm your soul.
We have soups of every flavor, color, and origin. From creamy mushroom to broccoli cheese to coconut curry. These super soups are just thing you need to keep Old Man Winter at bay. Pay heed, Campbell Soup, we just formed the Justice League of Soups.
{Meanwhile, in another kitchen….Lauren is fighting off Old Man Winter with a wooden spoon…}
Wait. Too far? Dang it. I hate it when I do that.
Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to a very tasty soup: sunchoke soup. Have you heard of or tasted a sunchoke? Me neither until last weekend when we were heading back from the mountains. I was scrolling the “Interwebs” for ideas on what to make and I suddenly stumbled upon this recipe using sunchokes. I was SOLD!
I dialed up the nearest Whole Foods, asked if they had any sunchokes in stock, and the rest as they say, is history. Sunchokes are more commonly called “Jerusalem artichokes. Why? I haven’t a clue. They don’t come from Jerusalem or look like artichokes. Sunchokes look like miniature celery roots or larger versions of fresh ginger. They taste “earthy,” as you can imagine, but infuse a great potato-y flavor to soup.
For this recipe, all you need to do is add some cauliflower, thyme, butter, and milk to a big ol’ pot and you’ll have dinner in less than 30 minutes, yo. But wait, there’s more! Mwhahahahah!
You can’t make a soup without a little dipper to go alongside. That would just be cray-cray. It took me 2.2 nano seconds to figure out the sidekick for this soup. Meet, Mr. Gorgonzola and Honey Crostini. He’s savory and sweet. Watch out girls, he’ll stick to you like spandex on an action hero.
Make sure to check out the other fantastic ladies of Soup Week:
Monday:
Katie of Hill Country Cook: 3 Bean and Spinach Soup
Kirsten of Comfortably Domestic: Broccoli Cheddar with Bread Bowls
Haley of Girly Girl Cooks: Hearty Vegetable Mexican Soup and Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread
Tuesday:
Madeline of Munching in the Mitten: Garbage Soup
Mads of La Petite Pancake: Gnocci Pesto Soup
Wednesday:
Yours Truly: Sunchoke Soup with Gorgonzola and Honey Crostini
Megan of Wanna Be A Country Cleaver: 40 Clove Garlic Chicken Soup with Parmesan Croutons
Thursday:
Monica of The GromMom: Coconut Curry with a lot of Aloha
Carrie of Bakeaholic Mama: Beef Bourguignon and French Baguettes
Friday:
Kat of Tenaciously Yours: Eat Live Run’s White Chicken Chili
Allison of Decadent Philistines: Arizona Mountain Soup with Cornbread
Saturday:
Anne of My Sweet Heart: Pink Prosecco Soup
Jeanne of Inside NanaBread’s Head: Shrimp Bisque and Mayo Biscuits
Beka of Kvetchin’ Kitchen: Creamy Mushroom Soup
Sunchoke Soup with Gorgonzola and Honey Crostini
Ingredients:
for the soup:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 celery rib, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cups chicken stock or water (add more if needed)
3/4 cup whole milk
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup sunchokes, peeled and cubed
1 sprig of thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
Scallions, garnish
Salt and pepper
for the crostini:
1 baguette, sliced
Gorgonzola
Honey
Directions:
for the soup:
Preheat a big ol' pot to medium-low heat. Add butter, onions, and celery. Cook until softened. Add the chicken stock and milk to pot. Bring to a simmer. Next, add the cauliflower, sunchokes, and thyme and bring all the yummy goodness to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let the ingredients simmer for about 30 minutes.
Working in batches (remove the thyme sprig before you start) and puree soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the creamy soup into bowls and garnish with a little more black pepper and sliced scallions.
for the crostini:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place baguette slices on baking sheet. Sprinkle baguette with gorgonzola. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cheese has melted and golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle honey on top. Serve alongside soup.
Recipe adapted from Food and Wine Magazine
All images and text ©
Yum! I’ve never cooked with sunchokes but I would love to try, this looks like a good first recipe! And gorgonzola + honey? Mmmm…
Madeline, you will love this soup! It’s like a lighter version of potato soup. Sunchokes are the bomb!
Love the idea for Soup week!! I have yet to cook with sunchokes, but this soup is definitely makes me want to go buy some asap! Yum!
Thanks, Kelli! You are going to love this soup! So easy and flavorful! Enjoy!
The Justice League would be proud. I’ve never cooked with sunchokes, but now I’m totally intrigued enough to try to source them in my little town. Wish me luck!
Kirsten, maybe I could Fedex you some? Sunchokes are super fun! Definitely need to give them a try!
I need to find me some sun chokes! How cool. And the crostini. This needs to happen. Gorgeous pics too, lady.
Thanks, Katie! You definitely need to whip up these guys:)
You have no idea how much I want to have a bowl of this right now! It’s not even that cold in LA – but still! It looks so soothing!
a few things:
1. I love sunchokes!
2. Soup week may just be the BEST week ever!
3. I am going to dial up my local grocery store and see if they have sunchokes. It’s been far too long!
Ha! I had a feeling you might know what sunchokes are….you rock sista!!
I’ve never heard of sunchokes, but the sound fabulous! Are they expensive? This soup looks crazy good, so I might just have to go on a sunchoke hunting mission. Yay Soup Week!
Whoa, I am loving your site design lately!
This soup sounds delish!
ps Your link from Country Cleaver’s site isn’t working 🙁
Thank ya, my dear! It was quite tasty! Also, thanks for the heads up about the link! I hate technology sometimes!
Okay, you’ve got me very intrigued here. This sounds really good! I might have to scout out some chokes and try out this soup.
Dewwwwww it. See you Saturday gurrrrlfriend!
heck yes! i love soup week!! it’s so freaking cold that i could bathe in soup. ok, a little gross, but you get my point. I want my face all up in this sunchoke soup! the gorgonzola & honey crostini has my name written all.over.it.!!!
Oh this looks amazing. Totally new territory for me too–which is good. I’ve done my standard soups WAY too much.
also loving your site–it is lovely!!
aloha
Oh Lauren….your pictures are so enticing! Your soup looks luscious and I LOVE gorgonzola and honey together on crostini! : )
Thanks, Anne! Cheers to soup week!
I’ve never tried sunchokes…I’m game! I’ll waltz into whole foods and buy the whole lot of them! Looks like a tasty soup!
“Mushroom” describes a variety of gilled fungi, with or without stems, and the term is used even more generally, to describe both the fleshy fruiting bodies of some Ascomycota and the woody or leathery fruiting bodies of some Basidiomycota, depending upon the context of the word.*-,.
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