Jerusalem Artichoke & Parmesan Risotto

Prepare

We are coming to the end of the Jerusalem Artichoke season in February, so why not try it in this wonderful recipe before its gone! This vegetable is not truly an artichoke but a variety of sunflower with a lumpy, brown-skinned tuber that often resembles a ginger root. Contrary to what the name implies, this vegetable has nothing to do with Jerusalem but is derived instead from the Italian word for sunflower, girasole.
The white flesh of this vegetable is nutty, sweet and crunchy and is a good source of iron.

Method:

For the artichoke purée:
Peel and chop the artichoke. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 8 minutes. Strain the artichoke, then blend with the butter and cream, adding salt and pepper to taste.

For the Risotto:

Warm up the stock in a pan until it is hot, but not boiling. Keep aside.
Heat the olive oil in a pan on a medium heat and add the chopped onion. Cook for a few minutes until soft, but be careful not to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the rice and cook for a couple of minutes until the rice starts to look translucent.
Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed. Gradually add the hot stock, a ladle at a time, making sure to stir until each ladle full is absorbed, before adding the next. Continue until all stock is used, and the rice is tender (about 20 minutes or so).
Stir in the cream cheese, Jerusalem artichoke purée, Parmesan to taste, and butter.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and dress with the chopped parsley.

This recipe is great by itself, or try as a side dish served with grilled chicken or scallops.