Sunchoke Bisque

I love sunchokes, and so does Chrissy. They're the tuber (root) of a sunflower plant. It seems that in normal places, you can only get them during the winter or so. They're pretty rare, it seems. Of course, in California we were able to get them whenever we felt like it. So when I went to my local produce market and found some sunchokes for sale this weekend, I bought all they had. The first recipe I'll be cooking is from Deborah Madison's Local Flavor cookbook. An excellent cookbook all around for delicious ways to treat fresh produce. Tomorrow, I'll post something else to do with sunchokes.

Ingredients

• 1 lb sunchokes, scrubbed (not peeeled) and cut into chunks
• 1 lb potatoes, cut into chunks (not peeled)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 6c chicken broth
• 2T heavy cream (optional)
  
• Hazelnut, Pumpkinseed or Olive oil (optional)
  

Preparation

Simmer the veggies for about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and simmer for 2 more minutes. Add the broth and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Puree until smooth, and mix in cream to taste. Salt, pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and drizzle oil on top of the soup to serve.

My favorite topping is hazelnut oil, but it's expensive and hard-to-find, and doesn't see a lot of use otherwise. EVOO is decent on top, too.