600 grams Jerusalem Artichokes 2Tbsp Olive Oil
5 Tbsp Orange Juice 2 cloves Garlic
! celery stalk 1.5 litres chicken or Vegetable stock
100 grams butter salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Bay leaves

Rinse Artichokes and scrub well

Place in large pan with 2 Tbsp of the Orange Juice and enough water to cover the Artichokes.
Bring to the boil,reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes or until they are tender.
(do not go outside and wander round the garden)

Drain and reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid.
Let the artichokes cool and then peel into a large bowl.
Mash with a potato masher (or use your wizz stick later on)

Wash leek and celery well to remove any trapped dirt, slice.

In a large pan melt butter then add olive oil, leeks,celery,and bay leaves.

Cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes til soft.
Add crushed garlic and simmer further 5 mins.

Remove Bay leaves and stir in artichoke flesh, reserved cooking water and remaining Orange Juice.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and let simmer on low for a couple of minutes.

In another pan heat up the stock, puree the vegetables down to a paste if paste is too thick add stock .
Return vegetable puree to the pan and add warmed through stock.

Stir until well combined ans season to taste.
Serve drizzled with a little of your best extra virging Olive Oil.

Yum thank you NZ GARDENER magazine.

Okay so I didnt have some of those things so
I cooked up the artichokes after scrubbing well and peeling as much as I could,
(pays to read the recipe through before you start), discovered that the artichokes would have been easier to peel after cooking by cooling and squeezing with my hands.

Sliced up the celery and leek and put in the stock to cook.
Also had a couple of chicken thighs cooking in there too which got deboned and finely diced up.
No idea how much water was in the pan but it looked about right.

Once everything was cooked, peeled etc...(no bay leave cos my poor wee shrub has been denuded and doesnt really have any to spare right now),
put everything into the chicken stock pot, including some cold cooked pumpkin I had in the fridge.
puree with my trusty wizz stick and brought to the boil then set on low and simmered thru.

Thought it looked alittle grey so I added some dark soy sauce to brown it up abit and look alittle more appetising.
Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Ladled into a bowl and added a drizzle of sesame oil.
Ate with a stack of buttered toast.

Guess what I'm taking to work in a thermosflask for lunch tomorrow?