Roasted Cod with Sauteed and Braised Sunchokes

Christophe Marque, chef of Cafe du Parc's recipe

4 pounds sunchokes, or Jerusalem artichokes
Juice of one lemon
7 ounces bacon
2 ounces shallots (1 large), peeled
7 ounces carrots (two or three), peeled
1/4 cup olive oil or duck fat (available at Dean & DeLuca)
8 cloves of garlic (not peeled)
24 pearl onions
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 liter Chablis or other dry white wine
1/2 liter chicken stock
30 Prince Edward Island mussels
6 ounces cod (about 4 pieces)
Salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste

Peel the sunchokes and drop them in a bowl of water acidulated with the juice of one lemon to keep their color.

Dice the bacon, the shallots and carrots into small cubes. Cut the sunchokes into 1-inch cubes.

Brown the bacon in a pan with two ounces of olive oil or duck fat over medium-high heat. Once the bacon gets some color, add the garlic, pearl onions and carrots and cook for two more minutes. Add the shallots, thyme and bay leaves. Cook for two more minutes. Add the white wine and reduce until the pan is dry.

In another pan, add the remainder of the olive oil or duck fat and cook the sunchokes, shaking regularly to brown them all over. (Make sure the pan is very hot when you put them in to give a little bit of colorization). Once the sunchokes have browned, add them to the first pan and then pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cover the pan with a lid. Cook for 10 minutes at high heat.

After the sunchokes have become tender, pour the contents of the pan through a strainer into a clean pan, reserving the sunchokes, and reduce the liquid by half with a fast boil. Season to taste, then add the mussels.

Cover the pan and cook on a high flame for about a minute. Make sure the mussels open. Discard any that remain closed. Incorporate the sunchokes with the mussels and set aside.

In another clean pan, roast the cod with a small amount of butter, skin side down, for three minutes. Cook on the other side for three to four minutes.

To serve, spoon the sunchokes and mussels onto the plate and place the cod on top. Remove the garlic, thyme and bay leaves from the stock and pour some of it around the dish.

Café du Parc (202-942-7000;cafeduparc.com) is located at 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Main courses cost $18.95 to $24.95.

This recipe first appeared in the Northwest, Dupont, Foggy Bottom and Georgetown Current Newspapers.

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