Fresh from California, sunchokes are in season. They’re typically harvested in the fall, around October, after the plant’s flowers have died back. Their flavor gets even better after a light frost.

Their autumnal availability makes them a seasonal ingredient for many fall and winter holiday dishes. This brings us to the question: What are sunchokes? Also below:

> The history of sunchokes.

> Sunchoke recipes.
 
 
WHAT ARE SUNCHOKES?

Sunchokes, a modern term for Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) are edible tubers that grow underground, similar to potatoes. The word is a contraction of “sunflower chokes”; sunchokes are close relatives of sunflowers. They are both in the botanical family Asteraceae and the genus Helianthus.

Sunchokes taste like a cross between potatoes and artichoke hearts (although they are related to neither), with a slightly nuttiness. Although many people peel them before cooking, we enjoy the earthy flavor of the skins. (We also loved baked potato skins, if that’s any measure.)

Root vegetables are generally storage organs, enlarged to store energy in the form of carbohydrates. True roots include:

Other root vegetables include:

 
Sunchoke tubers are elongated and uneven, typically 3-4 inches long and 1.2–2 inches thick. The color is often light brown, but some varieties are purple, red or white. Brown sunchokes vaguely resemble ginger root in appearance, and can be eaten raw or cooked.

> There is no food holiday for sunchokes, but December is Root Vegetables and Exotic Fruits Month.
 
 
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE HISTORY

Jerusalem artichokes are native to eastern North America and were first cultivated by Native Americans, long before the arrival of the Pilgrims and Puritans. The plant grew wild along the eastern seaboard from Georgia to Nova Scotia.

The explorer Samuel de Champlain first encountered it in 1605, growing in a Native American vegetable garden in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Native Americans called the food sun roots, and introduced them to the Pilgrims, who grew them as a staple food.

By the mid-1600s, Jerusalem artichokes had become a common vegetable for human consumption in France, where they were transported by de Champlain. In New England, they were a staple for the settlers. They were also used as livestock feed on both continents.

The French worked their culinary magic on the tuber, which reached peak popularity at the turn of the 19th century. But if you fast-forward two centuries, some glory remains: The Jerusalem artichoke was named “best soup vegetable” at the 2002 Nice Festival For The Heritage Of The French Cuisine. [Source]
 
 
THE NAME “JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE”

The Jerusalem artichoke is not part of the artichoke family but is a member of the sunflower family. The tall yellow flowers are decorative; the tasty part is the root in the ground.

Why is it called Jerusalem, when the Jerusalem artichoke is native to North America?

De Champlain felt the tuber tasted like artichokes, and he brought plants back to France with the name Jerusalem artichokes (the modern French name is topinambour). The Puritans referred to their settlement as “New Jerusalem” (after the Book Of Revelations), which may account† for the first part of the name.
 
 
THE NAME “SUNCHOKE”

Around the 1970s, California growers realized that they had a marketing problem with Jerusalem artichoke. Just as the unexciting “prunes” became “dried plums”—and the Patagonian toothfishbecame the very popular Chilean sea bass—a more tantalizing name was sought. A suggestion of “sunflower artichoke” was contracted to sunchoke.

Other names include earth apple, and sunroot.
 
 
SUNCHOKE RECIPES

Sunchokes can be cooked like potatoes: boiled, fried, grilled, mashed, microwaved or steamed. Raw, it is reminiscent of jicama, and can be added raw to salads. in stir-fries and soups and simply blanched and sauteed with garlic. They can be mashed or blended into mashed potatoes.

And there’s nothing like a medley of roasted root vegetables, such as beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips and sunchokes. Here are more elaborate recipes:

[1] The Jerusalem artichoke, or sunchoke, is the root of a sunflower-like plant. Some subscpecies are purple, red or white (photo © Culinary Vegetable Institute).

[2] You can see the resemblance of this Jerusalem artichoke plant to its cousin, the sunflower (photo by PJF | Wikimedia).

[3] A bowl oof raw sunchokes (photo © Melissa’s Produce).

[4] Different subspecies of sunchokes have different shapes (photo © Vicia).

[5] Mix sunchokes with mashed potatoes or other roots, or combine them into a hash with kale and farro. Here’s the recipe (photo © Food & Wine).

[6] Crispy Jerusalem artichokes. Here’s the recipe (photo © Epicurious).

Choose chokes that are firm, with no soft spots. As with potatoes, avoid nicks or cuts in the peel.

Store in a cool, dry place, or keep the sunchokes in the crisper drawer of the fridge, wrapped in a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
 
 
SUNCHOKE NUTRITION

One cup of sunchokes has 109 calories, 0 fat or cholesterol, 6 mg sodium, 643 mg potassium, 26 g total carbohydrte, 2.4 g dietary fiber, 14 g sugar and 3g protein.

Most significant among vitamins and minerals, one cup contains 10% DV of vitamin C and 28% DV of iron.

____________________

*Parsley root is not related to parsley, the herb, but is a beige root vegetable that resembles a parsnip or turnip. The edible leaves that grow above the ground do resemble curly parsley leaves, but taste like celery. Parsley root is also called turnip-rooted parsley. In Germany it is known as Hamburg parsley, and is a popular winter vegetable in Germany, Holland and Poland.

†The Italian word for sunflower is girasole (gee-rah-SO-lay), which could have evolved to “Jerusalem” over time. However, Jerusalem artichokes predated any significant Italian immigration to America by two centuries. A better explanation for the name is that it derives from the Puritans gave their New World settlement: New Jerusalem.
 
 

[6] A basket of just-harvested sunchokes (photo © Ela Martinez | Unsplash).
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

 
&nbsp
  

But pears don’t have to be ripe to be delicious. Hard pears can be baked, cooked (especially poached), even grated as a garnish onto cake, pudding, pancakes and yogurt.

Here are suggestions from USA Pears, the national trade association, for incorporating pears into cooked recipes. There are many delicious pear recipes on the organization’s website.

At the least, treat yourself to pear purée, the pear version of applesauce that can be served at any time during the day, as a condiment, side, topping or dessert. You can also use it in pear-accented cocktails. Peartini, anyone?

Here’s a quick recipe to try with a ripe pear. A hard pear can be cooked first.

RECIPE: NO-COOK SIMPLE PEAR PURÉE

Ingredients For 1 Serving

 
Preparation

1. PEEL and core the pear. You can leave the skin on the pear; it will provide vibrant flecks of color in the purée.

2. CUT into chunks and purée in a food processor or blender until smooth. The splash of lemon juice helps prevent the purée from browning.

3. TASTE and adjust for sweetness as needed. Add a dash of cinnamon as desired.

TOP PHOTO: Pear-Butternut Squash Soup. BOTTOM PHOTO: Pear Purée (like applesauce). Images courtesy USA Pears.

Poach the pears before pureeing. Pears can be poached in red and white wine, fruit juice, beer, sake, coconut milk or water. Add some spice to your poaching liquid: cloves, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, vanilla bean, orange zest, nutmeg, cardamom.

1. PEEL THE pears, leaving stem and core intact. Heat the poaching liquid over medium heat until it starts to simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue simmering while fully immersing pears into the poaching liquid. Simmer until pears are soft and easily pierced with a fork, 5 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the pear.

2. REMOVE the pears from liquid and let cool. Core the pears, remove the stems, cut into chunks and purée in a food processor or blender until smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness; add spices as desired.
 
PEAR RECIPES FOR BRUNCH

 
PEAR RECIPES FOR LUNCH

 
PEAR RECIPES FOR COCKTAILS & HORS D’OUEVRE

TOP PHOTO: Pear hummus. BOTTOM PHOTO: Pears Belle Hélène (poached pears with chocolate sauce). Images courtesy USA Pears.

 
PEAR RECIPES FOR SIDE DISHES

 
PEAR RECIPES FOR DESSERTS

THE HISTORY OF PEARS

Pears are one of the world’s oldest cultivated and beloved fruits. The trees thrive in cool temperate climates, and there is evidence of pears as food since prehistoric times. Many traces of it have been found in Switzerland’s prehistoric lake dwellings. [Source]

In the pear genus Pyrus, some 3,000 varieties are grown worldwide, The tree is thought to have originated in present-day western China, and to have spread to the north and south along mountain chains. In 5000 B.C.E., one Chinese diplomat was so enamored of them that he resigned his post to develop new varieties.

In The Odyssey, the Greek poet Homer lauds pears as a “gift of the gods.” Roman farmers documented extensive pear growing and grafting techniques. Pliny’s Natural History recommended stewing them with honey and noted three dozen varieties.

Seventeenth-century Europe saw a great flourishing of pear cultivation, especially in Belgium and France. Many of the modern varieties began to emerge.

Early colonists brought the first pear trees to America’s eastern settlements, where they thrived until crop blights proved too severe to continue widespread cultivation. Fortunately, pioneers had brought pear trees brought to Oregon and Washington in the 1800s, where they thrived in the agricultural conditions of the Pacific Northwest. It remains the major pear-growing center of the U.S.

The recipe is from Taylor Mathis of TaylorTakesATaste.com for GoBoldWithButter.com. He recommends it as “a perfect side for any grilled or roasted pork dish.” Ditto for roast chicken.

Taylor, a professional food and lifestyle photographer, works with his mother Sally James Mathis, a professional recipe developer. You can bet that everything they create is delicious.

RECIPE: TWICE BAKED PUMPKIN POTATOES

Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 42°F and bake the potatoes: Pierce each raw potato three or four times with a fork. Brush with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, place and directly on the oven rack. Roast until the skin is crisp and the body is very soft when squeezed, 50–60 minutes. Lower the heat to 350°F.

2. SPLIT the baked potatoes in half lengthwise while still warm. Scoop out the insides of each half, taking care not to damage the skins, and place the flesh in a large bowl. The hollowed-out potato skins will be filled later.

3. MELT the butter in a medium pan. Add the yellow onions, shallots and scallions. Cook, while stirring, until soft. Add the canned pumpkin and milk. Stir until all ingredients are well incorporated.

4. REDUCE the heat and add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir and remove from the heat. Add the Parmesan and stir. Fold the pumpkin mixture into the large bowl of potatoes.

5. FILL the empty potato shells with the potato and pumpkin mixture. Garnish with additional Parmesan and pumpkin seeds as desired. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

A russet potato with extra slices. Photo courtesy Idaho Potato Commission.

ABOUT RUSSET POTATOES

Russets are the most common type of potato grown in the U.S. They are the classic baking potato, floury/starchy potatoes that are lower in moisture (drier) and high in starch. The potato is oval and has a brown or russet-colored, net-like skin. The skin typically has just a few shallow eyes.

The term “Idaho potatoes” is often used interchangeably, but Idaho© Potatoes is a trademark of the Idaho Potato Commission, for russets that are grown in the state of Idaho.

Floury potatoes do not hold their shape well after cooking due to their low sugar content. They have a crumbly texture that tends to fall apart when boiled. That’s why russets are easier to mash. In addition to baked potatoes, they’re also used for deep-frying (for example, French fries and potato pancakes).

Russets are bred to be harvested in the warmer months; Idahos are harvested in the cooler months. Idahoan Luther Burbank developed the Russet Burbank potato in 1872, a more disease-resistant version of the Irish russet potato.

There have been additional russet developments since. In the U.S. alone, they include Alturas, BelRus, Centennial Russet, Century Russet, Frontier Russet, Goldrush, Hilite Russet, Krantz, Lemhi Russet, Nooksack, Norgold Russet, Norking Russet, Ranger Russet, Russet Burbank, Russet Norkotah and Russet Nugget. Each is bred for optimal growing in different soils, climates, rainfalls and seasons, and for resistance to pests.

POTATO HISTORY

Wild potatoes are indigenous to the Andes Mountains in Peru, where the Incas cultivated many species of potato. They were first domesticated more than 6,000 years ago.

The name is said to originate from the Spanish patata, a combination of batata (sweet potato) and papa, a word for potato from the Inca Quechua language.

The Spanish conquered Peru around 1530 and brought potatoes back home to Spain along with tomatoes, also native to Peru. News traveled fast (or what passed as “fast” in the centuries prior to the telegraph), and potatoes quickly reached the rest of Western Europe.

However, not everyone was enamored of the potato or the tomato. They were feared at first, accused of causing leprosy and being poisonous. They were classified as members of the Nightshade family, Solanaceae, because both contain toxic compounds known as glycoalkaloids. However, the levels in domestic potatoes and tomatoes fall far short of being harmful to people.

Slowly, more countries realized the power of the potato. It could grow in any climate. It became a major food crop in Ireland, so much so that when the country was hit by a potato blight (Phytophthora infestans) three years in a row, more than a million people died of starvation and disease.

Potatoes were introduced to America in the 18th century. They were first planted in Idaho in 1836; today the state grows 25% of the nation’s potatoes.

See the other types of potatoes in our Potato Glossary.
  

October 16th is National Liqueur Day, so celebrate with a shot of your favorite.

But first, what is a liqueur?

Pronounced lih-CUR in French and lih-KYOOR by some Americans, it’s one of a group of after-dinner drinks that also includes eau de vie, cordial, and schnapps, not to mention brandy.

Most people—including American producers and importers—use these terms interchangeably. But there are differences.

A liqueur, and its “siblings” described below, is an alcoholic drink composed of a neutral distilled spirit, brandy, or whiskey, plus additional flavorings.

These typically include sugar or honey, plus fruits, flowers, herbs, nuts, roots, seeds and spices, and vegetables, or a combination. Other flavors, such as chocolate, coffee, and cream, have been crafted into popular liqueurs.

The ingredients of one of the earliest liqueurs, Chartreuse, made by monks from an ancient recipe, incorporate 130 different plant products, including barks, herbs, leaves, and roots, plus brandy, distilled honey, and sugar syrup. (It’s the only liqueur in the world with a completely natural green color.)

Benedictine, an herbalist’s creation of plants and spices, contains up to 75 ingredients!

Often served with or after dessert, liqueurs are un-aged, beyond a resting period during production, when necessary, to allow their flavors to mingle.

The French word liqueur derives from the Latin liquifacere, to dissolve or make liquid. Before the discovery of distillation, this likely referred to the infusion of organic matter with water or wine.

The alcohol content of modern liqueurs ranges from 24% to

Below:

> The difference between liqueur, cordial, eau-de-vie, schnapps, and brandy.

> The history of liqueur.

60% alcohol by volume (A.B.V., which is doubled to get the proof, i.e. 48 to 120 proof).
 
 
BRANDY, CORDIAL, EAU DE VIE, LIQUEUR & SCHNAPS:
THE DIFFERENCE

 
 
THE HISTORY OF LIQUEUR

Alcoholic beverages were first discovered, naturally fermented from fruits and grains, and were enjoyed as far back as prehistoric times.

Chemical analysis has confirmed that the earliest known alcoholic beverage was a fermented drink of rice, honey, and hawthorn fruit and/or grapes.

The residue of the beverage, dated ca. 7000–6600 B.C.E., was recovered from pottery in Jiahu, a Neolithic village in China’s Huang He (Yellow River) Valley, the birthplace of Chinese Civilization [source].

This currently predates by 500 years the earliest evidence of grape wine from the Middle East [source].

Recipes for liqueurs have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs and Greek scrolls. But we owe thanks primarily to the monks of Europe, particularly Italian monks during the 13th century.

Chartreuse, noted above, is even older. Considered the world’s oldest distillery, dating to 1084 C.E., the liqueur was made by Carthusian monks at the order’s head monastery in the Chartreuse Mountains in the French Alps, north of the city of Grenoble [source]. The liqueur was developed as a way to infuse herbs for medicinal use.

As the trade routes opened between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, a variety of spices and other ingredients such as ginger and orange peel, were incorporated into liqueurs.

Some liqueurs were used for their aesthetic qualities, and others were for medicine, such as digestive aids. They also became fashionable drinks.

They also became fashionable. After Catherine De Medici moved from Florence to France to wed the future King Henry II (in 1533), she introduced the past time of liqueur drinking to the French court.

Many households had a small distillery and family recipes. By the early 19th century, branded liqueurs were produced commercially and affordably, so only families who guarded their recipes continued to make them at home.

Today, there are countless liqueurs made the world over.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF EAU DE VIE, “WATER OF LIFE”
 
Eau de vie, the water of life, was used by different cultures to describe distilled alcohol. The name reflects the intended use of the first distallates, as medication.

The Gaelic uisce beatha, pronounced ISH-ka BYA-ha, means “water of life.” The pronunciation evolved into the more familiar term, whiskey.

The Russian term zhiznennia (life) voda (water) was distilled down (that’s a pun) into “vodka.” It also means water of life (the literal translation of vodka is “little water”).

[1] Liqueur served in a popular style of liqueur, or cordial, glass (photo © Roman Odintsov | Pexels).

[2] Amaretto in another style of cordial glass (photo © Mother Of Pearl | NYC [permanently closed]).

[3] Amaretto di Saronno, an Italian liqueur made from almonds. Here’s more about it (photo © Angela Bax | Flickr).

[4] Apple schnapps moved to the foreground in the 1990s when it was mixed with vodka to create the Appletini (photo © Rajdeep Craft | Pexels).

[5] Pousse-café, a layered drink of different liqueur colors and flavors. Here’s more about it (photo © Eben Klem | Rebelle NYC [permanently closed]).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

If you made the farmer cheese recipe we published last weekend, you probably had a lot of fun. So here’s cheese-making, part 2: Make labneh today, enjoy it this weekend.

Prep time is just five minutes, plus 1-2 days to let the cheese drain. All you do is place Greek yogurt in a sieve (strainer or colander) lined with cheesecloth or paper towels, place the sieve over a bowl in the fridge and let the moisture (the whey) drain out.

Once the whey is removed, the firm solids that remain (the curds) are called cheese. This is common to all cheese making, from fresh cheeses like cottage cheesed to aged cheeses, where the curds are pressed into a mold to age.

Bonus: Labneh is low in calories, 40 per ounce when made with whole milk yogurt. And since the yogurt is not heated after incubation, the active yogurt cultures remain live.

WHAT IS LABNEH?

Labneh or labne (pronounced LOB-neh or LOB-nay) is a thick, creamy, tangy fresh cheese, often called “yogurt cheese” in the U.S. Thicker than Greek yogurt, it’s considered the Lebanese version of cream cheese.

Labneh is packed with live cultures (beneficial bacteria), calcium and protein. It isn’t made with vegetable gum and shaped into a brick like American cream cheese. Rather, it’s sold in a container the size of a large yogurt.

A mainstay for breakfast and snacking in the Middle East, labneh is available in grocery stores here. But since it’s so easy to make, why not have the fun of making your own?

RECIPE: HOMEMADE LABNEH (YOGURT CHEESE)

While the recipe for labneh couldn’t be more basic, we thank Good Eggs of San Francisco for inspiring this article.

Note that straining yogurt can reduce the volume of the yogurt by 50% or more, depending on how long you strain it (how thick the finished cheese is). Save the drained liquid (the whey). It’s filled with nutrients and we enjoy drinking it, but it can be used as a milk substitute in many ways, including mac and cheese.

Ingredients For 2 Cups

 
Preparation

1. MIX the salt and yogurt. Line a bowl or plate with 3 layers of cheesecloth and add the yogurt. If you don’t have cheesecloth, you just place the yogurt in a sieve/strainer or colander. At this point, you can mix in herbs and spices, or use them as garnishes to the finished cheese.

2. GATHER the edges of the cheesecloth around the yogurt and tie them with a string. Or, place the strainer over a bowl to catch the whey, and place it in the fridge. If you don’t have space in the fridge, in the cool weather you can use a cool spot in your home to let the yogurt drain; but you’ll want to wrap it in cheesecloth.

3. LET STRAIN for 1-2 days, or until labneh reaches the desired consistency.

Sumac is ground from a red berry-like drupe that grows in clusters on bushes in subtropical and temperate regions. The dried drupes of some species are ground to produce a tangy, crimson spice. (One of the species not used is the poison sumac shrub.)

The word “sumac” comes from the old Syriac Aramaic summaq, meaning red. In Middle Eastern cuisine, the spice is used to add a tangy, lemony taste to meats and salads; and to garnish hummus and rice. The spice is also a component of the popular spice blend, za’atar, below.

An easy substitute for sumac: lemon zest plus salt. (In salads, use lemon juice or vinegar.)
 
WHAT IS ZA’TAR?

Also spelled zahtar, za’atar is a spice blend that is very popular in Middle Eastern cuisines. It is actually the word for Lebanese oregano, a member of the mint family Lamiaceaea, and known since antiquity as hyssop. The za’atar blend includes spices well-known in European cuisines, with the unique components of Lebanese oregano and sumac berries, which impart a tart, fruity flavor that differentiates za’atar from other spice blends.

Traditional ingredients include marjoram, oregano, thyme, toasted sesame seeds, savory and sumac. Za’atar is used to season meat and vegetables, mixed with olive oil and spread on pita wedges or flatbread, added to hummus, and for a modern touch, sprinkled on pizza, especially ones with feta cheese.
 
WHAT IS FRESH CHEESE?

Fresh cheese is a category of unaged cheeses with a high moisture content (whey). They are typically set by adding lactic acid cultures. The cheeses can be made from any type of milk.

Uncomplicated in flavor, fresh cheeses have a creamy, soft texture and fresh, sweet flavor. They are often used in cooking and with fruit for dessert.

Fresh cheeses include cottage cheese, cream cheese, crème fraîche, fromage blanc, mascarpone, Neufchâtel, panir, ricotta, queso blanco, queso fresco and quark.

Fresh cheeses are not made to age, and should be consumed quickly.

Here’s more about fresh cheeses.