Lemon Tart

Cream of Cauliflower and Saffron Soup

Spring is definitely here. Not just because the date on the calender says so or that the magazines in the mail box have a picture with peas and fava beans and other such new crop vegetables. Nope, the chill in the air has been replaced by that familiar warmth that while not obvious at first, you relish with the memories of warmer seasons past. The sun seems brighter, warmer and more at home in its environment, all around me crocuses have given way to the first daffodils, and cherry blossoms are finally showering our streets with that blush of spring that seems "so Vancouver" and can't help but form spontaneous smiles on faces throughout the city. I'm almost out of Ruth's garlic (sad am I) and the winter squash in the markets have all but disappeared. Yes, spring is here and how glorious it is.

This buttery looking soup you see above is actually a late winter staple and since I've already shared two soups with winter white vegetables, I thought this would be a great way to say good bye to winter and hello spring.

Sunchoke Soup and the Return of Winter

 
Outside my window I'm looking at an unusually strange view of the city I call home. Snow covered rooftops, white capped trees and chilly looking crocuses. Here in Vancouver, snow is something people tend to recoil from. It instills panic in a city full of cars with perpetual summer tires and bombards us with the idea of winter that we simply don't buy into. People drink their morning coffee on outdoor patios, I wear my summer jacket in February and DG insists on his tiny little nylon running shorts. This winter, however, has shown itself in a traditional Canadian manner with unseasonably cold weather and a month of snow banks and salted streets. Just as the reminder of the white stuff had vanished, as crocuses burst out in colourful song and the tulips and daffodils started to perk up and show themselves, and just 1 day after we had brunch on an outdoor patio, the skies opened up and it snowed! I'm sure I could hear the cries from all over the city. No....!  Me, actually, I like snow. In fact I can't get enough of it. Shhh...don't tell or I'll get voted off!

I take this as a sign that I can still get in another winter vegetable soup. Today's soup recipe is one I developed a couple years ago as a way to use up a rather enthusiastic purchase of sunchokes, or jerusalem artichokes. This is one of my favourite ways of introducing this unique vegetable that unless you shop at farmers markets, you probably will never see. A friend gave me her bounty recently and I went about making a big batch of soup to preserve this vegetable before the spring peas and asparagus arrive.


The Sunchoke, also called Jerusalem Artichoke,  is the tuber or root of a variety of sunflower. When I tell people that they instantly warm to it. It has no relation to artichokes, doesn't taste like them or look like them and isn't a native to Jerusalem.  It is in fact native to North America. Sunchoke seems a more fitting name although then there's the choke part which puzzles. Seems like this is one misunderstood vegetable!

Creamy Celeriac Soup

This ugly, gnarly root vegetable you see above is called celeriac, also known as celery root. And I have a confession to make: it is probably my favourite winter vegetable. As far as starchy roots this one stacks up right at the top of the heap, above the humble potato and attention grabbing pumpkin, toppling over beautiful parsnips, homey beets and everyday carrots. Frankly it could hold its own as my all time favourite vegetable list any day, but I didn't think you'd buy my confession when going head to head with Black Krim Tomatoes, Dragon Tongue Beans,  or White asparagus.

 So what is it about celeriac? Well, this full flavoured, North American under achiever is the root of a variety of celery grown for its large root. A storage vegetable with a relatively low starch level it is appropriate for eating in both raw and cooked forms and is great on its own or combined with other lightly flavoured vegetables such as potatoes. Indeed it is this flexibility which makes it such a useful vegetable to have around. The flavour is, as you would expect, decidedly celery like, but with a smoother finish than raw celery. And because it is low in starch, it can be blended into a puree without risk of becoming gluey like some varieties of potato.

Celeriac is revered in Europe, especially France, where it shows up in the classic Remoulade, a shredded version in a mustard mayonnaise dressing. It makes a beautiful addition to any colesaw and try adding a bit to classic mashed potatoes for a lovely flavour boost. Added to a tray of mixed roasted root vegetables or or layed in a gratin, it adds a unique complement to sweet creamy starches. But one of my  favourite ways to enjoy this highly flavoured vegetable is in a creamy soup.  Combined with potatoes which temper its strong flavour, it makes a beautiful puree that shines when topped with a glistening fruity olive oil or herb oil. This soup cooks up in no time at all and will freeze well.