Warm roasted Jerusalem artichoke & kale dip

Once again, I find myself separated from my Thermomix :(  It is our Summer school break in Hong Kong and I always like to escape the heat this time of year and cool off in Australia for a few weeks with my girls. So, it's just as well that I have a few recipes up my sleeve that I haven't yet posted on my blog. I found this one filed away from last winter in Hong Kong, perfect to bring out now for the Australian winter for my Aussie followers :)

The inspiration for this dip was a bag of Jerusalem artichokes dropped off to me by my gorgeous neighbour, together with a sample that she had sliced and cooked up in the frypan.  . . I fell in love at first bite! Looks were deceiving, because although it looked like sliced potato as we would cook on the BBQ, the taste was so much better . . sweet, nutty, even smokey. I imagined them married with sage or leek in a soup or even as a warm dip. I had a play with them in my Thermomix that day and this is what I created . . . .

Roasted Jerusalem artichoke and kale warm dip

The Jerusalem artichoke is native to North America and is the edible root tuber of a flower not unlike the sunflower. The tubers are knobbly and resemble ginger in appearance which distinguishes it from the globe artichoke which is actually an immature flower.

ingredients
350g Jerusalem artichokes, cut into chunks

3 garlic cloves, whole, peeled
a little coconut oil

180g baby kale, stems & leaves

50g parmesan cheese, cubed

¼ c mayonnaise (TM made preferably)

juice from half a lemon

handful fresh parsley or coriander leaves

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

method

1. Scrub and dry artichokes. Do not peel. Chop them into equal size pieces so they cook evenly. Place in a ziplock bag with a little coconut oil and shake to lightly coat. Add to a roasting dish with the garlic and bake in oven at 190°C for 20-25 minutes or until the artichoke is tender when tested with a sharp knife.
2. Add the parmesan cheese to the TM bowl and grate for 10 seconds on speed 8. Decant and set aside.
3. Rinse out the TM bowl and add 500g of water. Place the baby kale into the varoma receptacle and place the lid on top. Steam cook for 10 minutes at Varoma , speed 1 or until wilted. Remove the Varoma receptacle and pour out the water from bowl.
4. Add the artichokes, kale, chopped garlic and parmesan, lemon juice, coriander or parsley leaves and freshly ground black pepper to the TM bowl and mix on speed 5 until well combined. Serve warm with crusty bread and vegetable sticks.

no thermomix?
Prepare your artichokes as per step 1. Grate your parmesan by hand or in a food processor. Steam your kale on the stovetop or in a steamer oven. Combine all ingredients in your food processor to blend. 

nutrition tid bit
Jerusalem artichokes are often touted as a healthy alternative to potatoes. Unlike potatoes which are largely composed of starch, this root tuber stores its energy as inulin which cannot be broken down by the digestive tract and instead promotes the growth of friendly bacteria in your gut. 

I always like to have baby kale on hand to use in recipes because it is highly nutritious. It has a milder flavour than the more robust mature kale which is quite bitter. It can be eaten raw in salads and goes very well wherever you would normally cook with spinach. I often add it to curries. Kale is a cruciferous vegetable and one of the healthiest around! It is an excellent source of vitamin K, A and C and a very good source of dietary fibre, calcium and potassium. It is also a good source of iron, vitamin E and the B group vitamins as well as many different types of phytonutrients with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits, (www.whfoods.org) 

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