Jerusalem artichoke risotto with seared scallops

They're back. And they're back with a vengeance. After last year's kick-start to being the newest food fad in town, jerusalem artichokes are back for another season... good on them! You see them in recipes all over the country, every magazine has them, no celebrity chef can be without using them in at least one episode per season and even the neighbourhood restaurants have discovered them. Well, some have. Hopefully we'll be spared jerusalem artichoke curries altogether, and I doubt that fried slices of topinambour (as its called in French and German) will become an integral part of the British fry-up.
The simple fact that jerusalem artichokes are not confined to market stalls and specialist mail order shops anymore, but available in every better supermarket nowadays, speaks volumes for the re-discovery of this most earthy and wintery of vegetables. About time, I say. I felt it had suffered discrimination for too long - true, it's an ugly little fellow if smooth, washed-out skin and equal dimensions in every specimen is a criterion of beauty... I mean, if you've never had a lychee before, you're likely to fall for its interesting shell, the shiny smoothness of the interior of the fruit and the most silky perfection of the pit... but the mean sunchoke? Its bumpy, hairy aspect is definitely not the most attractive to an undiscerning shopper, it's quite obviously difficult to clean and hard to peel. But even if you pick it up and smell it, it's not likely to win you over, as it only develops its beautiful nutty flavour and smooth silken texture when cooked or baked.
After playing around with creamy JA soups for a while last year (and discovering that they're better left unpeeled in any preparation for a more intense flavour), I've been more adventurous this time round: I've added them to a gratin dauphinois which gave this most classic of dishes a very interesting dimension indeed, and a few weeks ago, I decided to try another one of Gordon Ramsay's recipes - and absolutely loved it. This dish has a very unusual combination of flavours and textures - the nuttiness and richness of the jerusalem artichoke risotto is offset somewhat by the sherry vinegar, the caramelised goodness of which going very well with the pan-seared scallops. Another perfect dish from a very talented and inspired chef...
PS: for the vegetarians amongst you: this is just as good without the scallops - try pan-roasting some cubes or thick slices of jerusalem artichokes instead to add a bit of drama if you'd like...

Jerusalem artichoke risotto with seared scallops*
(serves 3)

340 g jerusalem artichokes (aka sunchoke or topinambour)
150 g butter
150 ml single cream
3 tbsp olive oil
300 g risotto rice (I tend to use Vialone Nano)
750 ml vegetable stock
50 g parmesan
75 g caster sugar
75 g sherry vinegar
6 king scallops (muscle and gonads removed)
1 tsp oil

Brush the artichokes under running water, cut into small dice (ca. 2 cm) without peeling, dry thoroughly, then fry in 75 g of the butter until very soft. Add the cream, reduce until thick and velvety, then use a hand-held blender to process to a smooth purée. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large, non-stick pan, add the rice and stir for about 2-3 minutes. Add a third of the stock, bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and continuously stir until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat until there is no more stock left. This should take 25 minutes at the most.
Meanwhile, heat the vinegar and sugar in a non-stick pan over a low heat, leaving it to caramelise and thicken, but taking care not to burn it.
Add the jerusalem artichoke purée to the rice with the remaining butter and the parmesan. Adjust the seasoning.
Slice the scallops (ca. 3 cm thick), fry in hot oil, no more than 1 minute on each side.
Arrange risotto on plates, place the scallops on top, then drizzle with the caramelised vinegar.

For a vegetarian option, omit the scallops, but instead fry or bake thick slices of jerusalem artichokes until soft and crispy. Place on top of risotto and drizzle with the vinegar sauce.

Serve with rocket and parmesan salad with an olive oil and sherry vinegar dressing.

* Based on a recipe in Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Heaven", p. 128

Comments

[Sarah Lou]

As far as risottos go, this is by far one of the most intriguing. As a huge risotto fan. I will try this one for sure.

[Stacey]

I have been searching for J-chokes for the past 2 months! Everytime I go into my local markets they don't have them and Whole Foods is mysteriously "out" of them whenever I'm there. I'm jealous!

[Well Fed]

Wow. This looks amazing. I have not yet made risotto since the weather has turned cool. I think this recipe might be the one I do. Thank you!

[daniel bosold]

wondering why this is listed under both "fish and seafood" and "vegetarian". curious, that.

[johanna]

daniel, i listed it under vegetarian as well, as there is a suggestion for a non-meat/non-fish alternative which is equally yummy...

[Tanna]

I'm just printing this one out to try; might not be til winter but it looks beautiful.

[Scott]

I had the artichoke risotto at Claridges in October, and it was by far the best risotto I've had in my life. I cannot wait to make it this holiday season.

[marika]

We've just made your artichoke risotto two weeks running for dinner parties at our house because we love it so much. The only thing is, we're a bit puzzled by the caramelised vinegar. Every time we make it, we heat it for ages, and nothing much happens until we add more sugar, at which point it starts to turn brown and caramelise, but by that point it gets really sticky, and sticks both our teeth and our plates together. What is it supposed to be like, exactly, and what are we doing wrong? Thank you!

[johanna]

Hi Marika,

I am pleased you like the risotto – and I share your concern about the sauce… it is a bit tricky to get right.

The reason for it not caramelising with the given amount of sugar is probably the consistency of your vinegar – I use a sherry vinegar which is aged over a few years, so it does already contain a relatively high concentration of sugar, almost like a balsamico, but not quite as thick. If yours is younger and contains less sugar, you’re right to add some more.

The trickiest part is when to take it off the heat – I find that as soon as you reach the turning (caramelisation) point, you need to take it off the heat immediately so that it doesn’t concentrate and get too sticky, and with off, I mean out of the pan. You might want to pour it into a warmed bowl, if it’s too cold, the vinegar might solidify. You could keep it warm in a bain marie (or double boiler) or a bowl over warm water – I tend to leave the vinegar till last, the risotto can wait a little…

Another trick would be to go for store-bought balsamic glaze, which has the same qualities and there are very good quality ones out there: Waitrose sells a nice one http://www.waitrose.com/food_drink/recipes/glossary/foodglossary/Balsamicglaze.asp

If you’re going down that route, you might still want to dissolve some more sugar in it (to taste) when/if you warm it.

I hope this helps, if only a little. Caramelising is probably the trickiest business in the kitchen (apart from sauce hollandaise, maybe, my pet hate) ;-)