Artichoke!!!!! What do I do with it????

I was zooming down the supermarket aisle. I have no choice I have two children, a two year old and a nine month old. Their inner demons could erupt at any moment. Shopping is no longer the relaxing experience that it used to be pre -children. But there is always one place that I do try to stop at. The reduced section, I love a bargain. I probably end up being an more adventurist shopper in the reduced section. Who would not try new things if they thought they were getting a bargain.
And there they were Jerusalem artichokes. Now I have never cooked them before and if my memory serves me right I don't think I have ever eaten one, either.
So I grabbed them, how could I resist the challenge. I browsed the Internet, and eventually found Delia's Artichoke and Carrot Soup. It was a whizz to make and a rich and creamy soup. Which was great seeing the recipe did not include any cream. That really appealed to my health conscious mentality.
The soup was a cracking success. My other half is sometimes a little vary of my cooking experiments. So when I told him what we were having for lunch. He immediately asked why he could not have the mushroom soup that I had also just made. I was having none of that, saying my soup was lovely and once he had tasted it he agreed. Even my two year old said it was TASTY. Now that is a real achievement.

Here is the recipe

Artichoke and Carrot Soup

Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 lb (450 g) carrots
1 lb 8 oz (700 g) Jerusalem artichokes (weight before peeling)
3 oz (75 g) butter
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1.5 litres (2½ pints) hot vegetable stock made with Marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon powder
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Start by peeling and de-knobbling the artichokes and, as you peel them, cut them into rough chunks and place them in a bowl of cold salted water to prevent them from discolouring. Then, scrape the carrots and slice them into largish chunks.
Now, in a large saucepan, melt the butter and soften the onion and celery in it for 5 minutes, keeping the heat fairly low. Next, drain the artichokes and add them to the pan, along with the carrots. Add some salt and, keeping the heat very low, put a lid on and let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes to release their juices.
After that, pour in the hot stock, stir well, put the lid back on and simmer, very gently, for a further 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Now liquidise the soup in two batches, then return it to the pan, taste to check the seasoning and reheat very gently until it just comes to simmering point. Serve in hot soup bowls.

This recipe is taken from Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course, How to Cook Book Three, Delia's Vegetarian Collection and The Delia Collection: Soup.