Woodland Soup with Artichokes, Chestnuts, Mushies and Miso

Ingredients

• 500 g Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed
• 1 garlic bulb, left whole
• few grinds of salt and pepper
• couple of glugs of olive oil
• couple of knobs of butter
• 150 g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 large onion
• 1 rib celery
• 350 g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
• sploosh of marsala, madeira or a medium-dry sherry
• bouquet garni made from 2 sprigs 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs thyme and sage leaves
• 1 litre chicken bone stock
• 1 tbsp miso
• 60 ml double cream
• good pinch of nutmeg
• To serve:
• 1 tbsp oil
• leaves few sage
• hunk of sourdough

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C fan. Scrub the artichokes and add to a roasting pan with one whole garlic bulb. Drizzle with olive oil and a few grinds of salt and pepper and roast until the artichokes are golden brown and tender for 30 – 40 minutes.
2. Chop the onion and celery and fry gently in olive oil and a knob of butter until softened. Add the mushrooms and bouquet garni and cook for a further 5 minutes. Season lightly (as the miso will add saltiness). Pour in the marsala and continue to cook until the marsala has reduced and almost evaporated.
3. Squeeze out the garlic and add about half to the pan with the stock, artichokes and chestnuts. Note: if you want it really garlicky, add it all or slather the remainder on the toasted bread. Cook for a further 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and blend then add the cream, miso, nutmeg and blend again. Check the seasoning.
4. Stir in a knob of butter. Fry the safe leaves in a tablespoon of olive oil. Serve the soup hot and top with the crispy sage leaves and a hunk of toasted bread.