Kohlrabi

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Kohlrabi and Apple Slaw with Creamy Coleslaw Dressing<

Hands-on time: 25 minutes Time to table: 25 minutes Makes 4 cups, easily adapted for less

DRESSING:

• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon good mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar Salt & pepper to taste - go easy here
• Fresh mint, chopped
• 1 pound fresh kohlrabi, trimmed, peeled, grated or cut into batons with a Benriner
• 2 apples, peeled, grated to cut into batons (try to keep equivalent volumes of kohlrabi:apple)

Whisk cream into light pillows - this takes a minute or so, no need to get out a mixer. Stir in remaining dressing ingredients, the kohlrabi and apple. Serve immediately.

Warm Root Salad in Horseradish Vinaigrette 

Hands-on time: 35 minutes Time to table: 90 minutes Serves 4 as main dish, 8 as side dish

This is a "concept" recipe ~ it begs for your own changes and inspiration. Allow about 2 cups unroasted vegetables per serving for a main dish, about 1 cup per serving as a side dish.

• 2 medium purple-topped turnips, ends trimmed, peeled with a carrot peeler, cut cross-wise about 1/3" thick, then diced
• 2 kohlrabi, ends and knobs strimmed, peeled with a paring knife, cut cross-wise about 1/3" thick, then diced
• 1 sweet potato, peeled with a carrot peeler, cut cross-wise about 1/3 " thick, then diced
• 2 small potatoes, skins on, cut cross-wise about 1/3" thick, then diced
• 1/2 celeriac, peeled with a paring knife, cut cross-wise about 1/3" thick, then diced
• 3 parsnips, ends trimmed, peeled with a paring knife, quartered lengthwise, woody cores removed and discarded, then diced
• 3 carrots, ends trimmed, thick ends halved or quartered with carrot left intact, then cut cross-wise
• [red onion would have been good]
• 1 ounce pancetta, diced small
• About 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Prep vegetables.

Toss in a bowl with olive oil.

Place in a single layer on two baking sheets, season generously with salt and pepper.

Roast for 60 minutes, stirring well after 30 minutes, stirring well and adding pancetta after 45 minutes.

Horseradish Vinaigrette

• About 4 tablespoons olive oil
• About 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar (next time I'd use 6 - 8 tablespoons for considerably more contrast to the creamy-oily vegetables)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons horseradish (to taste, this was a mild home-grown horseradish from my Dad's friend's garden; if you like horseradish, use more than you think is needed just tasting the vinaigrette for any bright spark will be moderated by the rooty starchy vegetables)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients in a large bowl. Fold in the roasted vegetables, taste and adjust seasonings. Serve over lettuce greens (no need to dress the greens, the horseradish vinaigrette will be enough) with good bread and butter.

Roasted Kohlrabi

Hands-on time: 10 minutes Time to table: 45 minutes Serves 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink so much)

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil?1 tablespoon garlic (optional, to my taste)
• Salt
• Good vinegar

Set oven to 450F.

Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (This can be done on the pan but you'll likely use more oil.)

Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and roast for 30 - 34 minutes, stirring every five minutes started after about 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi don't get squishy).

Kohlrabi side dish(Navalkola sukke)

Ingredients:

• Kohlrabi (Navalkolu/navilkosu) (cut into small pieces)
• 1 cup Onion (cut into small pieces)
• 1/2 cup Coconut (fresh or frozen)
• 3/4 cup Red chilies 4-5
• Coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp Urad daal
• 1/2 tsp Tamarind
• 1/2 tsp Jaggery
• 1/2 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Salt

Method:

Cook Kohlrabi in cooker.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon of oil and fry coriander seeds and urad daal.

Grind them with coconut, jaggery and tamarind by adding just sufficient water (do not make the masala too watery).

Heat remaining oil and fry onion.

Add cooked kohlrabi and ground masala.

Add salt and cook till masala is done and the dish becomes almost dry.

Serve as a side dish with rice and daal/gravy or with chapathi.

Serves : 3 Preparation time : 20mins

Quick Kohlrabi Pickles

• 2-4 small kohlrabi bulbs, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/2" cubes
• Good olive oil (optional)
• Rice vinegar (not sweetened, available in Asian grocery stores and some well-stocked supermarkets.  If you don't have rice vinegar, you could substitute something rather mellow - white wine or sherry vinegar, or even white vinegar with just a pinch of sugar added)
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Black Pepper

Place the kohlrabi chunks in the bowl of a lidded, airtight container.  

Drizzle with a touch of olive oil, a good splash of vinegar, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  

Replace the lid and shake well.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  

Place in fridge, shaking occasionally.  

They are best after they have marinated for a few hours, and will last about a week, becoming more intensely flavored but still largely retaining their lovely texture.

If the leaves attached to the kohlrabi bulb are fresh and green, they can be enjoyed as a cooked green. Wash the leaves and remove the ribs. Blanch in boiling water until just wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze excess water from leaves. Chop leaves, then saute in a little olive oil or butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of vinegar or squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Roasted Kohlrabi

Hands-on time: 10 minutes

Time to table: 45 minutes

Serves 4 (smallish servings since roasted vegetables shrink so much)

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh kohlrabi, ends trimmed, thick green skin sliced off with a knife, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic (optional, to my taste)
• Salt
• Good vinegar

Set oven to 450F. Toss the diced kohlrabi with olive oil, garlic and salt in a bowl. (This can be done on the pan but you'll likely use more oil.) Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put into oven (it needn't be fully preheated) and roast for 30 - 34 minutes, stirring every five minutes started after about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with a good vinegar (probably at the table so the kohlrabi don't get squishy).

Kohlrabi with Peas and Potato

This is a mild yet flavorful dish, and it cooks up quickly.    Serves 4.

• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced

In a large soup pot, sauté in 1 tablespoon oil about 3-4 minutes.

• ½ teaspoon dry mustard
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon ground tumeric
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander

Add and stir-fry for about 30 seconds.

• 1 cup kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped

Add and stir briefly.

• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cup water
• ¾ teaspoon salt (ideally, Celtic Sea Salt or Redmond’s Real Salt, as these contain valuable trace minerals – Tom)
• ½ teaspoon sugar

Add; bring to a boil then simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes.

Kohlrabi Puree

• 4 kohlrabi bulbs with leaves
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 ounces cultivated mushrooms (I used Baby Bellas), quartered
• 3 Tablespoons cream (or milk, chicken stock, olive oil, or water)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Trim the kohlrabi bulbs, peeling them if the skins seem tough. Rinse the leaves (discarding any that are yellow) pat them dry, and coarsely chop. Set aside. Cut the bulbs into 1-inch chunks.

2. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil, and add the kohlrabi chunks. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, another 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let garlic brown.

4. Add the mushrooms and the reserved kohlrabi leaves to the skillet. Cover, and cook 5 minutes. Then uncover, and cook, stirring, until all the liquid has evaporated, 3 minutes. Set the skillet aside.

5. Drain the kohlrabi chunks and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Add the mushroom mixture and all the remaining ingredients. Purée until smooth.

6. Transfer the purée to a saucepan and reheat over low heat, stirring, 2 minutes.

Makes 6 portions. (I love that they don't actually say it will "serve" six people, but that it does indeed make six portions.)

Kohlrabi Gratin

• 4-6 kohlrabi with leaves
• 1 T butter or olive oil
• 1 clove garlic or 1/2 garlic scape thinly sliced
• 2 - 3 T sliced green or bulb onion
• 3 - 4 c stock
• 3 - 4 T flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 ounces sharp cheddar or other strong cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove greens from kohlrabi and set aside. Cut off roots and tops of kohlrabi and trim off fibrous outer layer. Slice into 1/4" slices or cube into 1/2" pieces. Wash greens. Remove stems using a knife to make v-cuts in the leaves. Stack several leaves together, roll like a cigar, and thinly slice into strips 1/8" to 1/4" wide. Repeat.

In a large pan heat 4 qts. water to a boil. Add leaves. Test for tenderness and bitterness. Cook until leaves are on the verge of losing their bright green color. Remove and drain. In a large saute pan, heat butter or oil. Saute garlic and onion for 2 min. Remove, set aside. Add 3 c stock to pan, bring to a low boil. Add kohlrabi bulb pieces. Cook until tender crisp. Remove from pan. Remove 1 c stock and into it stir flour. Add back to stock in saute pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir to prevent lumps. Add onion, kohlrabi, and kohlrabi leaves. Coat with sauce. Add 1/2 to 1 c more stock if mixture is too dry. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a greased 2-3 quart dish. Top with grated cheese. Bake until cheese is brown, approx. 15 to 20 min.

Kohlrabi with Parmesan

• 2 large or 3 medium kohlrabi, stalks and leaves removed
• 2 T unsalted butter or olive oil, or combination
• 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 T minced parsley

Peel kohlrabi to remove fibrous outer layer. Shred with grater or foodprocessor. Heat a medium skillet to medium heat. Add butter and/or oil. When fat is hot, add kohlrabi. Cook, stirrring frequently, until vegetable is tender, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir. Toss with cheese. Cook until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Garnish with parsley. Serve hot. Serves 4.

Creamy Kohlrabi Soup

(Hungarian Kohlrabi Vegetable Soup)

Kohlrabi has always been a popular Eastern European vegetable since it tolerates frost well and can be stored a long time in a root cellar. The bulbs come in white and purple varieties. The white are more flavorful and tender when small and have a hint of radish and cucumber flavors. Purple Kohlrabi tends to have a slightly spicier flavor.

Because this soup contains only vegetables (but there is dairy!), it's a light way to start a multicourse meal.

Makes 4 servings of Kohlrabi Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and chopped
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper

Preparation:

1. Melt butter in a large pan with a lid. Add onions and cook gently until soft, about 10 minutes. Add kohlrabi and cook 2 minutes.

2. Add vegetable stock, milk and bay leaf to pan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 25 minutes or until kohlrabi is tender. Let cool a few minutes and remove bay leaf.

3. Using an immersion blender or conventional blender or food processor, puree soup until smooth. You may want to strain the soup through a fine sieve if the kohlrabi is especially fibrous. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in heated bowls with hearty bread of choice.

Note: If your kohlrabi come with the green tops, blanch them and clean as you would for spinach, stripping the leaves down off the tough center stem. Roll the leaves and slice across as for a "chiffonade" of basil.