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Artichokes, Jerusalem, Mashed
Wash and pare some artichokes; boil them in salt and water until quite tender, then drain and press the water thoroughly from them. Put them into a saucepan, and beat to a pulp; adding salt, pepper, and a little cream. Serve quite hot. Time to boil, twenty minutes; to mash, five minutes. Probable cost, 2d. or 3d. per pound. Allow two pounds for four or five persons.
A straightforward purée that needs little translation, though the vegetable itself is the thing most likely to trip a modern cook.
- Not an artichokeJerusalem artichokes are the knobbly tubers of Helianthus tuberosus, a sunflower relative, and have nothing to do with globe artichokes. They are sold as sunchokes in much of North America.
- Peeling"Pare" means peel, and the knobs make it slow work. Drop the peeled tubers into acidulated water as you go, or they discolour quickly; alternatively boil them in their skins and slip the skins off after, which loses less flesh.
- Twenty minutes is a maximum, not a minimumCut into even pieces they are tender in 12-15 minutes. Left too long they collapse into the water and the purée turns thin and grey.
- Drying the pulp matters mostJerusalem artichokes hold a great deal of water, which is why the recipe says to drain and then press the water thoroughly from them. Return the drained tubers to the dry pan over low heat for a minute or two to steam off the surplus before mashing, or the purée will be soupy.
- Cream and seasoning"A little cream" is about 2-4 tablespoons for the 2 lb quantity; add it warm and by degrees. A knob of butter and a scrape of nutmeg are period-appropriate and improve it.
- TextureThe flesh is fibrous enough that beating in the pan leaves it slightly stringy. Pass it through a food mill or sieve for a smooth purée; a food processor makes it gluey.
- Cost and yieldThe 2d. or 3d. per pound is a Victorian retail price and of no present use. The stated 2 lb for four or five people is a fair side-dish quantity, and peeling loses roughly a fifth of that weight.
- A word on digestionThe tubers store inulin rather than starch, which many people find noticeably gas-forming. A first serving is best kept small.
Jerusalem artichokes reached Europe from eastern North America in the early seventeenth century and were briefly fashionable before falling out of favour with cooks who found them windy and monotonous; John Goodyer, who obtained tubers in 1617 and grew them in Hampshire, complained in print that they caused "a filthy loathsome stinking wind". The name is a puzzle of mistranslation: "Jerusalem" is generally traced to a corruption of the Italian girasole, sunflower, and "artichoke" to a supposed likeness in flavour to the globe artichoke's heart. By the time Cassell's dictionary appeared they were a cheap, hardy winter root, grown easily in gardens and priced at a few pence a pound, and the book treats them exactly as it treats potatoes and parsnips: boiled, mashed, buttered, and served hot.