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

Print Recipe

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

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