It’s not really an artichoke, but we call it that anyway — Jerusalem artichoke, or sunchoke, is a root vegetable that happens to have an artichoke-like taste. It doesn’t have any real connection to Jerusalem, either, for that matter; it’s actually native to the United States.
Despite its deceptively being a foreigner, Jerusalem artichoke is quite common in markets here. As a tubor, it’s easier to prepare than artichoke, in my opinion — just skin it and cook, as opposed to the laborious artichoke, which hides its meat inside layers upon layers of thorny greens and thistle (smart).
This ravioli has a pretty strong taste — first off because of the garlic, and the artichoke isn’t exactly a shrinking violet, either. I assemble mine via the ravioli attachment of my pasta machine (I have detailed pasta-making instructions in this post), but you could also do it by hand.
And if you don’t want to go the pasta route, you could always try turning the filling into gnudi — naked ravioli. You’d have to come up with your own precise recipe, but I imagine you’d mix a bit of flour with the filling ingredients, form it into balls, roll them in flour or breadcrumbs, and boil, pan-fry or bake.
For 4 servings:
For the dough:
250 grams flour (white, whole wheat, etc.)
250 grams semolina (white or whole wheat)
2 eggs (optional — non-vegan option)
water
For the filling:
500 grams Jerusalem artichoke
4-6 cloves garlic
a stalk or two of chopped parsley leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Prepare the dough: Mix the flour and semolina with the (optional eggs) and just enough water to form a dough. If the dough crumbles, add more water; if it’s very soft, add more flour. The dough should be stiff and somewhat elastic. Set aside to rest, preferably for at least an hour.
Prepare the filling: Wrap the garlic, peels and all, in aluminum foil, and bake on high heat in an oven or toaster until roasted, about 10 minutes.
Peel the Jerusalem artichoke. Make sure you separate any knobs, because dirt likes to hide in there. Microwave in a covered glass dish (or boil on the stovetop) until soft. Drain out the liquids.
Remove the roasted garlic from its peel, and mash with the artichoke until smooth. Add a bit of finely chopped fresh parsley, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
To assemble the ravioli, roll the pasta dough out into flat sheets. Fill it either by arranging mounds of filling on a sheet of pasta by hand, and covering them with another sheet of pasta, or by running the pasta and the filling through your pasta maker with the ravioli attachment.
