Sunchoke and Hazelnut soup

Sunchokes

Batcat found himself a hazelnut

Some crazy weather we've had here in Seattle. It lasted about a week and now it's mostly gone. The city practically shut down. Casey and I are on the tail end of a detox. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I wasn't really feeling it. Remember my post about autumn and the love I have for comfort foods when it's cold? Well that is exactly how it went. We tried some neat recipes but really what I craved was some hot chocolate and a cupcake. Really, really craved. And wine of course. I went into such a funk I didn't take pictures of the food I made, though a lot of it was really good.
This particular detox went according to a book I had purchased a few years ago called The Total Detox Plan. Nerd that I am, I made a powerpoint presentation and Casey made an excel spreadsheet. We took a number of different herbal supplements and teas to promote sleep, energy and detoxification. While I enjoyed it, I feel bad that my heart just wasn't in it.
I have also been reading From Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin. It is everything that I want in a food photography book. I loaned it from the library but will probably end up buying it. It is incredibly well written and has a ton of pictures. So much to learn!
This soup was totally out of our box. I enjoyed it, but it was lacking something. The yogurt helped. So did the salt. Maybe a squeeze of lime juice over the top??


Sunchoke and Hazelnut Soup
Serves 2 large portions

1 lb. Sunchokes
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
1 medium onion, chopped
2 c. vegetable stock
4 oz. roasted hazelnuts
Plain greek yogurt for garnish

Peel and dice sunchokes. Submerge pieces in cold water with lemon juice. Heat olive oil, add onion, soften. Drain sunchokes and add to onion with vegetable stock. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, crush hazelnuts, save a handful for the garnish. Add soup and hazelnuts to blender, blend. Serve with cracked pepper, hazelnuts, and a dollop of yogurt.