Not Quite Ready for Springtime Players

This almost springtime soup blends rich Jerusalem artichokes with with hothouse kale and asparagus.

They say March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb but the first day of Spring here in New York came blazing in like a big giant beach ball.  Hello short shorts and flip flops.  Every single New Yorker was outside on the sidewalk, in parks or hanging out of bar and cafe windows that had so recently been shut tight to a long, cold winter.  Yipee!!

I was so excited to feel the sun on my skin again, I walked the 74 some odd blocks down to the Union Square Green Market.  Since it was so warm and beautiful, I thought, I would find lovely greens displayed from every stall.  I had dreams of asparagus and young lettuce and pea shoots and all sorts of fresh, lovely local produce we’re seeing in grocery stores across the country.  What I found, once I elbowed through the throngs of Sunday strollers (get there early people!) were booths upon booths of root vegetables, pickled vegetables, apples and yak yarn.  Of course, spring vegetables don’t magically appear on the first day of Spring at green markets in the north; I have to be patient and make do.

The potatoes were beautiful and varied and I did find a basket of beautiful Jerusalem artichokes I thought would be perfect for the base of a spring-like soup.  Jerusalem artichokes (or sunchokes as they’re commonly known) — high in potassium, iron and fiber, is neither an artichoke nor from Jerusalem.  It’s a tuber whose flower resembles a sunflower.  Italian immigrants to the U.S. called the plant “girasole,” which means sunflower in Italian, and, it is widely believed, “Jerusalem” came from the misinterpretation of the word.  The tubers resemble the ginger root but boast a taste somewhere between an artichoke and a nutty sweet potato.  While I typically roast them (delicious with actual artichokes and a tarragon and lemon olive oil drizzle), I decided to pick up a pound and use them as a basis for a winter into spring soup.

Jerusalem Artichokes at the Union Square Green Market resemble ginger root.

Next, was my challenge to find something green.  Near the end of my green market stroll, I found the guys from Norwich Meadows Farm.  They had a small selection of leafy greens they grow in their hothouse.  I was so excited, I picked up a half pound of kale I thought would be smashing with the sunchokes.  And, I had enough left over to saute with Northern beans for a quick side to a curried goat meatloaf I created from another green market find (more on that later this week).

Norwich Meadows Farm grows kale and other leafy greens throughout the winter in a hothouse.  But… it ain’t cheap.  $16 a pound!

Still, I felt I needed a little more green for my creation.  I’ll admit, I cheated a bit and found a fruit and vegetable cart just outside Union Square.  The vendor was selling bunches of asparagus for just $1.  Suspicious, I asked what was wrong with it.  “It’s a little old,” he said, “I have to throw them away at the end of the day.”  They looked okay to me and certainly good enough for soup.  Even though they weren’t local and not offically from the green market, I felt pretty green for having saved them from an inglorious demise.

This Primavera soup is both rich and light and could even be used as a puree paired with fish or chicken.

Primavera Soup

Serves:  8

Ingredients

1 1b. Jerusalem Artichokes or Sunchokes (substitute Idaho or Yukon Gold potatoes)

1 1b. Asparagus

8 oz. Kale

32 oz. vegetable stock

12 oz. water (more if soup is too thick)

1/3 cup chopped shallots

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

3 tbl. chopped fresh mint

1 tbl. olive oil

kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper

Prepare

Heat oil in an 8 qt. stockpot.  Add onion, garlic, carrot and mint.  Sautee until golden and fragrant.  Add Jerusalem artichokes and asparagus and sautee for 3 minutes.  Add broth, water, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add chopped kale and boil another 10 minutes.  Let cool slightly and pour mixture into a blender and blend in batches.  Add salt and pepper to taste, serve warm in bowls.

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