JERUSALEM artichokes are nothing like the real thing. Unlike the big green globes starting to come into markets from California right now, they grow underground and look it, with a nubbly skin and buff color. They have no heart, just sweet flesh. They need no trimming and tweaking; you can even eat them raw. And they have a finite season, one that is just winding down.
I've been hooked on Jerusalem artichokes ever since seeing what happens when you coat them in walnut oil and stick them in the oven. Roasting makes them almost meaty, and the nut oil brings out a mellow flavor. They're like potatoes with personality.
You can do much more with these quirky little tubers, though. Raw, they have a taste and crunchiness like jicama, so you can use them in a salad. But cooking brings out a faint sweetness, especially in soup. They make an excellent gratin and even better fritters or pancakes, on their own or with other root vegetables like carrots.
Europeans have always been enamored of Jerusalem artichokes, which are native to North America, and chefs around New York have taken to them lately. Cyril Renaud at Fleur de Sel in the Flatiron district does something of a symphony in artichokes by topping puréed Jerusalem artichokes with seared scallops and then a scattering of deep-fried slivers of globe artichokes with fresh sage. A drizzle of honey-vinegar sauce brings the sweetness of the shellfish and the Jerusalem artichokes into harmony.
Didier Virot at Virot, in the new Dylan hotel in Midtown, uses Jerusalem artichokes in a completely different presentation, with thin, very crunchy slices set under airy gnocchi in a light but creamy sauce. A julienne of aromatic black truffle added at the end is almost superfluous. (So are the gnocchi, actually.)
And Tom Colicchio is using Jerusalem artichokes at two extremes of fussiness at his two restaurants in the Flatiron district. At Gramercy Tavern, he showcases them in a roasted vegetable ragout with leeks and also serves them diced and puréed alongside monkfish wrapped in pancetta. At Craft, where the food is more basic, he offers Jerusalem artichokes as the simplest side dish: he first browns them in olive oil with thyme in a sauté pan, then transfers them to a 350-degree oven to roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Depending on how old they are, they make take longer.
Some produce distributors have tried to make them more enticing by labeling them sunchokes. They should just be emphasizing all the advantages. Jerusalem artichokes need no peeling, just a good scrub with a stiff vegetable brush. Unlike potatoes, they don't depend on butter for flavor and richness. And once cooked, they hold up well -- the fritters in the recipe here are almost better cold than hot.
Elizabeth Schneider's excellent ''Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables'' (William Morrow, 1998) explores a range of other ways to use them. She even suggests pickling them, although I've never tried.
She also gets to the tangled roots of their peculiar name, which has nothing to do with Israel (although they are now grown there) or Palestinians (although a traditional purée made from them in New England was known as Palestine soup). The vegetable is actually a member of the sunflower family, and the most common theory is that the Italian word for sunflower, girasole, could have been corrupted into Jerusalem. And apparently Europeans who first tasted them thought they had a flavor like raw artichoke.
The Garden of Eden is selling Jerusalem artichokes for $1.99 to $2.99 a pound. They're stored in water there, but I've found they will keep for weeks, even months, in a plastic bag in the bottom of the refrigerator. ''Real'' artichokes may be available year round, but these are worth stockpiling.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE FRITTERS
Time: 35 minutes
1/2 pound Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed
1 carrot, peeled
3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Fresh black pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste
2 eggs
3 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Peanut oil for frying.
1. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Grate Jerusalem artichokes and carrot into a mixing bowl. Add shallots. Stir together cornmeal, flour, salt and baking powder, and stir in, mixing well. Season with pepper and Tabasco to taste. Add eggs, and mix thoroughly.
2. Combine chives, sour cream and lime juice, and set aside.
3. Pour oil 1/2 inch deep into a large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat until sizzling. Drop mixture in by tablespoons, flattening slightly. Fry until crisp and golden brown, turning once. Transfer to oven on a baking sheet lined with paper towel while frying more. Serve with sour cream mixture.
Yield: 4 servings.
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE GRATIN
Adapted from ''Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables''
by Elizabeth Schneider (William Morrow, 1998)
Time: 40 minutes
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes
1 cup milk
Butter for pan
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 garlic clove, halved
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
White pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Gruyère.
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Scrub Jerusalem artichokes, and slice 1/4 inch thick. Bring milk and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, add slices, and cook until tender but crisp, 8 minutes. Drain, and arrange in a buttered baking dish.
2. In a small saucepan, bring cream, garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper to a boil. Remove garlic, and pour mixture evenly over artichokes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake in upper level of oven until bubbling and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
Yield: 4 servings.
SCALLOPS WITH ARTICHOKES AND JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES
Adapted from Fleur de Sel
Time: 1 1/2 hours
1 pound Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed
Salt
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons sherry
2 cups peanut oil
3 large artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 large scallops
Fresh black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons minced shallot
2 thyme sprigs, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh sage, in julienne
1. Boil Jerusalem artichokes in salted water until tender. Drain well, peel, and purée in blender. Set aside in warm spot.
2. Heat honey over medium heat until darkened. Add vinegar, and cook until thickened. Add sherry, and keep mixture warm.
3. Heat peanut oil in a deep, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Thinly slice artichoke hearts. Drop into hot oil in batches, and cook until crisp and lightly browned. Drain on paper towels; keep them warm.
4. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Season scallops. Add to pan, and cook until browned on one side, then turn, and cook a few seconds longer. Stir in butter, shallots and thyme. Remove scallops from pan, and add honey mixture. Bring to a boil.
5. Spoon purée onto 4 serving plates. Divide scallops among plates, spoon sauce over and around, then top with crispy artichoke slices and julienned sage.
Yield: 4 servings.
Photo: THE UNPOTATO -- Jerusalem artichokes (raw, inset) are roasted with thyme at Craft. (Thomas Dallal for The New York Times)