Leeky Sunchoke Bisque

By em-i-lis • January 9, 2013 • 0 Comments

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Leeky Sunchoke Bisque — 1 of 2 Photo by em-i-lis

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Author Notes: I have felt chilled to the bone all day and tonight just wanted to feel warm and comforted from the inside out. As well, cleaning out my fridge has been on my to-do list. This soup fit the bill in every way and quite honestly was one of the best things I've eaten in a long while. Mmm! - em-i-lis

Serves 6-8

10 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
8 fresh chestnuts, each scored with a paring knife around its perimeter, optional
4 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4¼ cups leeks, trimmed/washed/halved lengthwise/chopped crosswise (2-3 leeks)
4¼ cups onions, peeled and chopped (about 2 medium onions)
¼ cups shallot, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1½ teaspoon salt
at least 1/4 tsp each of freshly ground nutmeg and freshly ground white pepper
3 cups sunchokes, washed and chopped
4 cups chicken broth
2 pecorino rinds
½ cups buttermilk
6 tablespoons heavy cream
slivered scallions for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small ramekin, put the unpeeled garlic cloves, drizzle with a bit of oil, cover tightly with foil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. On a rimmed baking sheet, place your scored chestnuts and roast for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, in a dutch oven or soup pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. When the butter is mostly melted and things are heating up, add the chopped leeks, onions, shallots and thyme sprigs. Sprinkle with the salt, nutmeg and white pepper, stir to combine everything well, and lower the heat to medium.
When the veggies are nicely wilted and starting to turn translucent (at least 10 mins), add the sunchokes and chicken broth. Turn the heat up to medium high, and submerge the two cheese rinds. After a few minutes, add the buttermilk and cream and stir again to combine everything well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat until you can maintain a nice simmer and cook 25-30 minutes, until the sunchokes are easily pierced with a knife. Add the roasted garlic at any point before the cook time is up.
When the sunchokes can be pierced, turn off the heat and carefully remove what's left of the thyme sprigs and cheese rinds. Then, carefully puree the soup with an immersion blender (if you don't have one, let the soup cool some before using a blender). Serve with peeled and chopped roasted chestnuts and slivered scallions if you like.