Every once in a while I come across a vegetable which reminds me of growing up in Austria and enjoying my mother’s home cooking. One of my vegetable farmers had kohlrabi on his stand. Kohlrabi was bred from the original wild cabbage plant similar to Brussels sprouts and broccoli. Right now kohlrabi is “the new kid on the block” at the farmer’s market next to an abundance of Summer squash and other vegetables.
(kohlrabi)
Baseball vegetable
Kohlrabi seems to be the best when they are the size of a baseball. If larger, kohlrabi tends to get woodsy in texture. The rugged leaves are edible and have a straight forward flavor. The purple skinned variety tastes the same as the pale green kind, both have a whitish colored inside. It is often mistaken as a root vegetable but it actually grows above the ground just above the top soil.
(kohlrabi roasted with pepper flakes sprinkled with crispy speck and yellow mustard flowers)
Kohlrabi’s versatility
I use kohlrabi raw and pickled in salads and cook it along pork roast, bake it with a touch of blue cheese rind and so on.
In the recipe below I make sure to slice kohlrabi thinly since it can be hard to bite through thick raw pieces - I give it the Mandolin treatment. When eaten raw the texture will remind you of Granny Smith apples -- not as juicy though -- and has a turnip like flavor, hence the combination with apple.
(kohlrabi sliced on a Japanese Mandolin)
Spicy kohlrabi slaw with bacon
(recipe yields four appetizer sized portions)
4 thinly sliced bacon strips
2 Kohlrabi (baseball sized)
1 apple such as Granny Smith
½ teaspoon salt such as Baline
3 pinches cayenne
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon-style grainy mustard
2 hearts of romaine salad
1. Lay bacon flat on a sheet pan then cook in a 280 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes. Transfer cooked bacon to a kitchen paper towel lined plate (this will absorb excess fat).
2. With a knife (such as a flexible fish filleting knife) cut top and bottom from kohlrabi and cut peel off kohlrabi then peel apple
3. Slice peeled kohlrabi and apples with a Mandolin into thin strips (1/8-inch thick).
4. Combine cut kohlrabi and apple in a bowl with salt, cayenne, vinegar and oil then let sit for 15 minutes (this will soften mixture)
5. Cut hearts of romaine in quarters (lengthwise) then rinse with water and dry in a salad spinner
Plating instructions: Put two pieces of quartered romaine salad on each plate then spread kohlrabi/apple slaw on it. Break cooled crispy bacon piece over top of salad.
(kohlrabi/apple slaw on romaine salad with slices of Hudson Valley Havarti cheese sprinkled with Hungarian paprika)
Chef’s Note: This salad is reminiscent of a Caesar salad – cheese and anchovies move aside – bacon come in.
