Roast jerusalem artichoke soup

Method

• step 1

  Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Spread the artichokes on a tray and drizzle over a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and roast for 15-18 minutes until they’re golden brown and tender. In the meantime, add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan on a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and fry for 10 minutes until soft but they don’t take on any colour.

• step 2

  Tip the cooked artichokes and half of the chestnuts into to the pan with the onions. Give everything a good stir and then add the chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cream and bring to the boil. Whizz in a liquidizer or with a stick blender until smooth and strain through a fine sieve.

• step 3

  Crush the remaining chestnuts into smaller pieces and dry fry until they become a little crunchy, take out and allow to cool a little.

• step 4

  To serve, heat the soup back up, pour into bowls, and sprinkle over the roasted chestnuts. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a few fresh thyme leaves.