I just bought some sunchokes yesterday! It's my first time trying them, and I made a potato, carrot, and sunchoke puree to serve along side a stuffed chicken. It would hav egone a lot better together if the chicken hadn't been a greek stuffed chicken. Oh well! They were both still tasty, just not really dinner plate soul mates.

However, I think it would have gone great had it been served along side a plain or traditionally roasted chicken.

Does anyone know to do mediate the unpleasant side-effects of sunchokes? I love them, but they really hurt my tummy.

I have an idea I've wanted to try for a while for subbing sunchokes, mashed or pureed, for half (or more) of the potatoes in gnocchi. Gnocchi aren't really very much work either, so that might be a cool way to have them.

Beware. They can cause severe GI discomfort in some people. Like eating beans x 1000 for me.

Pairs exceptionally well with a medium-flavored fish, such as monkfish or cod. Adds a nuttiness and richness that complements the fish flavor without overpowering it.

To the questions about gas, try taking Beano right before eating sunchoke. Might help, might not.

I like to peel the chokes then blanch them in heavy cream until soft. Then puree them with just enough cream to make a thick consistency, a bar blender works best. Use this as a sauce/starch puree on scallops with some fava or mushrooms and that's a good meal.

Pickled sunchokes are also very good.

Jay

I love them too, but they give me painful tummy aches as well as other unpleasant side-effects of the musical kind.

Like many others, I suffer from the sunchokes' unpleasant side effects. But I love their taste! If anybody has a remedy, do share. In the meantime, I eat them in solitude. :)

When I'm trying to pair them, I think of them as mashed potatoes with a little bit of celery pureed in. Anything that would go well with that flavor usually works for me.

Oh, and like mashed potatoes, the answer to preparing them is butter.

Beware, sunchokes aka "jerusalem artichokes" contain a large quantity of undigestible, long chain, carbohydrates that will give you horrible gut pains, gas and bad cramps. The choke itself tastes fine, but the side effects are not worth eating the choke. Jicama is a close cousin and much better choice.

I had some delicious roasted sunchokes at Cube in LA. They were done very simply with a sprinkle of nice salt. I can't remember if I had stomach problems after...

If you keep sunchokes in storage for awhile, the inulin (that indigestible carbohydrate) will convert to fructose and not cause all that discomfort. The chokes won't be as crisp, but they're perfect for roasting or puree.

I also found this blog post that suggests a magical cooking process which converts inulin to fructose.

http://healthyhabitscoach.wordpress.com/2008/11/21/be-careful-with-sunchokes/

a puree would be good but my favorite way is to slice small with a mandoline, then saute till crispy and caramelized in butter or if you are really decadent beef tallow with fresh rosemary

hmmm...I haven't had them in a while. I'm going to get some though to see what kind of effect if any they may have on me. Beware! Or not.

David, my husband sends his condolences to your gastronitestinal tract. I have no idea what he's talking about, since sunchokes give me no discomfort whatsoever. So, mileage may vary.

Dungeness Crab. In fact, it's in season right now. Yum!

Serve with venison or duck breast, glazed in something sweet. Heaven!

When I'm feeling lazy (often) I just boil them up with a bit of lemon to prevent discolouration and then mash them with potatoes - they give a whole new depth to the dish.

Never had a problem with tummy troubles afterwards and I eat these all the time.