As I was catching up on my favorite food blogs the other day I felt so awful for Bren who described how she broke her camera during an event. I also got a bad gut feeling. Well exactly one week later I broke my DSLR lens. I could not believe it. In such a stupid and careless way. I was carrying 50 things at once, including the camera, to toss on the couch as I was planning on downloading picture. Well I loss my grip on the camera and it fell. The UV filter was shattered and and the zoom extending part was crooked.
Well it looks like the body is OK and I was able to download my shots. I also had just received 2 payments on Paypal which now became lens shopping funds. Good timing but would have skipped the whole episode. Found one on Ebay and waiting for the mail man to bring my package. This is one of the recipes that I was thankfully able to download, a Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke and Walnut Salad with Ricotta adapted from this blog post.
Have you broken broken a camera lens before or an expensive electronic ‘toy’?
Back to the salad. Have you ever eaten a Jerusalem Artichoke before? I discovered this vegetable about 10 years back and fell in love. At the time it was really hard to find but it is gaining popularity. My mom said she remembers it from her childhood but I guess was forgotten for a few decades.
In case you are wondering, it is not related to the artichoke nor has it a connection with Jerusalem. It is actually part of the sunflower family and when the Italians started immigrating to North America they called it by the Italian name girasole (sunflower in Italian) which somehow turned into Jerusalem.
And how do we explain the artichoke part? The delicate and earthy taste has a faint resemblance to artichokes. Do not judge it for its tubular root look, this is a refined vegetable to the palate. Most recipes ask to peel them but don’t bother. The skin is thin and totally edible. Just give it a good brushing under cold water. This is a great warm salad that can totally substitute as a meal, it is a hardy portion.
Roasted Jerusalem Artichoke and Walnut Salad with Ricotta
Ingredients
- 1 pound Jerusalem artichokes cut in half
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- A head of salad or greens of your choice
- 2/3 cup ricotta
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Place the artichokes on a baking tray lined with aluminum, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put in the oven for about 30min until soft and cooked through.
- Put the walnuts on a baking tray. Pop in the oven for about 5min until golden. Take out and leave to cool. Chop roughly.
- Prepare the seasoning by mixing together the mustard, the vinegar and olive oil. Toss with the artichokes.
- When the artichokes are cooked and warm, prepare 2 plates with greens on the bottom. Spoon the artichokes on top and add the walnuts and ricotta on top. Serve straight away.
i love Jerusalem artichokes! I roast mine like potatoes usually.
also, terribly sorry to hear about your camera. i’m worried often that I’m gonna drop mine. Or spill chicken stock on it. or something. Or more so, worried that my partner who is super anally retentive about keeping it clean and safe with the lens cap on at all times will say to me, “i told you so”….fear!!!!
thank you for sharing your post with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up! i look forward to seeing what other seasonal & whole/real food posts you have for us this week! xo, kristy
So sorry about your lens but glad you were able to get a replacement 🙂
Your salad looks just wonderful…will have to give this a try 🙂
So sorry to hear about your lens. It could cost a fortune to get a new one.
I have never had jerusalem artichokes and I want to try so badly!
I once threw my camera but I was quick enough to put my foot and the camera landed on my foot and then to the ground so it was not that hard of a fall. So sorry about your accident, I know what it means for a blogger to not be able to use her camera. The artichokes look fantastic!
Looks like something you’d get from a restaurant.
And if having faulty laptops counts. Then yes, I have.
Sorry about your camera! It happened to me about 6 months ago and I was so sad!The dish looks delicious and is a wonderful meatless side dish!
Supremely satisfying dish, Evelyne. These wonderful roots aren’t used often enough! Walnut and Ricotta – can’t go wrong…!
No, I really haven’t broken an expensive electronic device before. And no again, I haven’t tried Jerusalem artichoke before. And now one yes, the salad is looking good.
I always love seeing what you have cooked up…it’s always something unique with your own special twist…and almost always something I want to try. I have never cooked Jerusalem artichokes, but they are now on my foodie bucket list 🙂
PS…yup, I’ve broken a camera lens, too. Thank goodness it was an inexpensive one.
So sorry to hear about your camera lens. Such an upsetting thing. Hopefully you can get back to 100% soon. It’s interesting that you didn’t peel the artichokes. Always thought they had to be peeled. This is a great salad to share for the holidays.