While we’re still waiting for the spring weather to officially settle in, there’s a little bit of sunshine to be found on your dinner plate: Sunchokes, the edible root of the sunflower, are in season, and chefs are using them to cheer up end-of-season dishes.
Also known as Jerusalem artichokes, but native to the US, they have the same consistency as a potato, but a crisper texture and a nuttier flavor.
“For the last three years, we’ve seen demand increase by 20 to 30 percent each year,” says Tyler Gray, co-owner of Mikuni Wild Harvest, an artisanal food purveyor that supplies ’chokes to many New York chefs.
“Demand has increased with chefs’ commitment to local ingredients. We can sell 2,000 pounds a month across the US and Canada.”
The following dishes feature the knobby root veggie prepared in wildly different ways.