Warm Jerusalem Artichoke, Bacon & Asparagus Salad

I haven’t eaten Jerusalem artichokes very often and never cooked them either but when I see something new at the veggie store I have to buy it even if I have no idea what I am going to do with it at the time. Thanks to Google it takes a few minutes to find some inspiration, I based my salad on Jamie’s method of cooking Jerusalem artichokes and threw in my own ingredients. The longest part of making this salad was preparing the artichoke, which looks like ginger root on steroids for those who have not seen it raw. It has to be peeled, ever last tuber and nobble, if I had thought of this before making my selection I may not have bought the funkiest, narliest looking pieces….we live and learn. It was a truly delicious hearty salad but I may recruit helpers next time to peel the artichoke root!

Ingredients

• 600g Jerusalem artichokes.
• 1 bunch asparagus
• 6 rashers streaky bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• Handful fresh thyme
• 1/2 glass wine
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt & pepper

Method

• Peel the artichokes and cut them into chunks.
• Slice the streaky bacon into 1 inch pieces and asparagus into 2 inch pieces, discarding the woody end.
• Place the artichoke chunks and bacon into an oiled frying pan and fry on a medium heat until golden on both sides, then add thyme, garlic and white wine, salt and pepper to season and place a lid on top.
• After about 20 to 25 minutes the artichoke will have softened.
• Add the asparagus and balsamic and cook form a few more minutes until the asparagus is cooked but still has a crunch.
• Serve straight from the pan.