Courtesy of EllenFork
Here we are again; in the land of delicious, seasonal vegetables! Sunchokes are definitely not commonly used, at least not where I’m from, and I actually hadn’t heard of one until a few weeks ago. I’ve gathered a few recipes for you, as I do, and all of them make me glad that I know of the vegetable.
The Appetizer: Roasted Sunchokes
Courtesy of Red Shallot
A very simple, and delicious, way to start off a multi-course meal at home. The bulk of the recipe at Red Shallot Kitchen is in the spices and herbs you’ll use to season the sunchokes. In roughly 30 minutes of prep and cook time… blam! Magical cubes of tastiness.
The Salad: Roasted Beat, Sunchoke, Arugula
Courtesy of A Couple Cooks
And orange vinaigrette, no less! This dish from A Couple Cooks also uses beets and arugula; both winter veggies. A three for one deal! You’re so lucky. 
I think this is a great way to try out a new (and tasty) salad type. Maybe it’ll become a regular staple at your table!
The Soup: Split Pea and Sunchoke
Courtesy of Jenne
If you were looking for a way to change up a traditional split pea soup; look no further than Sweet Potato Soul. This dish will take you a little over an hour to prepare and cook, but the end result is a comforting and earthy dish to curl up on the couch with. Warm soup, a good book, and a fireplace if you’re lucky enough to have one. Maybe a cat or dog curled up at your feet. Big, fluffy blanket. Sigh.
The Side Dish: Caramelized Sunchokes
Courtesy of Alison Ashton
This recipe from Nourish Network is extremely simple and takes something like 10 minutes to throw together. In fact, aside from the seasoning and sugar used to caramelize the sunchokes; the vegetable is pretty much all there is to this. I imagine this would be amazing when served with chicken. Or beef. Or pork. Or… nothing!
The Main Dish: Sunchoke Pasta
Courtesy of Kelsey Brown and Shaun Boyte
OH MAN. I’m a sucker for pasta, and this one sounds like it’d be amazing. The recipe at Happy Yolks is even written in a cute, rustic way. Don’t be intimidated by the pictures; this recipe is another straightforward one with a fairly small ingredients list. Apparently, cleaning sunchokes properly is a pretty lengthy ordeal. It’s been mentioned, however, that you should definitely take the time to clean them without peeling them; cooking this veggie with the skin on helps them retain their flavor, and remain crispy.
The Main Dish: Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Courtesy of Sylvia Fountaine
Last, but not least; Vegan Shepherd’s Pie from Feasting At Home. Although this isn’t a sweet meal, the fact that it’s a pie makes it a dessert too, right? I’m pretty sure that’s how it works. The author uses the sunchokes as a replacement for lamb (hence the ‘vegan’), and because the vegetable is so earthy, the replacement doesn’t detract from the flavor of the dish. The pictures on this website are amazing, too.
Hopefully you’ve found inspiration in this week’s Veggie-Light, and maybe one of these dishes will grace your table this week (or a week in the near future)!
