The other day I saw the most beautiful organic sunchokes and couldn’t resist buying them! They sat in the fridge for a little while because I couldn’t think of when to eat them, or how. I also had some organic kale and an absent husband, so I decided it was time to do a little investigating. I actually found some intriguing recipes and modified them. This is what I came up with:
Crusted Jerusalem Artichokes with Beluga Lentils, Kale and Harissa
Servings 0
Ingredients
- ¾ cup beluga lentils soaked if possible (you can also use Du Puy or French lentils)
- 6 cups Jerusalem artichokes/ Sunchokes
- 4 cups packed shredded kale
- 1 large sweet onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- sea salt
- knob of coconut oil or clarified butter
- 1/3 cup almonds roasted
Dressing:
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. harissa* paste depending on your taste – this may be too spicy!
- 1 clove garlic
- a couple pinches sea salt
- 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
Instructions
- Drain and rinse lentils well. Place in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until tender (approx. 20-25 minutes). Drain and rinse.
- While the lentils are cooking, prepare all vegetables. Scrub the Jerusalem artichokes. If their skins are rather thin, you don’t need to peel them, otherwise do so. Cut into cubes. Wash kale, cut into small pieces. Chop onions, mince garlic.
- In a large dry skillet, toast almonds until fragrant and slightly browned. Remove from heat.
- In the same skillet, heat coconut oil or clarified butter, add onions and sea salt. Cook on medium heat until softened, 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook for a couple minutes. Add Jerusalem artichokes, toss to coat with oil and leave for at least 5 minutes on medium heat – do not stir! After 5 minutes, check the bottom to see if browned. If so, stir to flip them all and let cook another 5 minutes. Repeat once more (they should not be on the heat much longer than 15 minutes).
- Finally, add kale and toss until bright green and tender, 3 – 4 minutes.
- While the dish is cooking, make the dressing. Put all ingredients in a jar, shake until blended (add harissa one teaspoon at a time until it is to your preferred spiciness). Season to taste.
- In a large bowl, toss the lentils with half of the dressing. Add vegetable mix, pour most of the dressing over and lightly toss. Put on a serving dish, and drizzle the last remaining dressing over top, making sure to let some hit the sides of the plate for visual effect – the colour is astounding! Eat immediately.
Notes
It was delicious! I used clarified butter (homemade), French lentils that held their shape and sliced almonds.