consider the kohlrabi…

“Consider,” my new friend said, “if you have time, consider the kohlrabi“.

“Really?,” you may be thinking, “must we?”. After all, how lovely can something called (roughly) a “cabbage-turnip” actually, be? Well, I am here to tell you that if you don’t know this oddball of a Brassica, then you are missing out on a marvelous vegetable two-fer.

The thing about kohlrabi is, both ends are wonderful. It is one of the push-me-pull-you delights of the vegetable world. But the other vegetables that fall into this category (beets, for instance, and turnips) are more approachable, appearing more like proper vegetables than something that might live in the ocean.

pretty, weird, but not pretty weird

Kohlrabi puts folks off. My vegetable guy tells me that he is regularly asked to remove the leaves, that his custom only wants the bulbous fleshy part. I told him that I would happily give him my phone number so that he could call me — I’ll take any part I can get my hands on!

The interesting thing (if the mere appearance isn’t interesting enough!) is that, to me at least, the two ends of this wonder taste completely different. The strange yet beautiful orb that sits (to the confusion of those expecting it to be a proper root vegetable) just above the ground tastes, to me, like a young delicate radish. I’ve heard “oh it tastes like apple, like jicama, like potato but sweeter…”

I think it tastes like the earliest radishes that grow in France in the spring, crisp and sweet yet with a slight tang, the ones that are served as an appetizer with a bit of fresh sweet butter and a pinch of fleur de sel. Mmmm…

greens 'n' um, chickpeas

I won’t bore you with another variation of greens and beans; you know how to do this as well as I do! Still, the greens and the chopped stems (of both colors – I like to mix them) of the kohlrabi are excellent in the pot with some sautéed onion, garlic, maybe a can of fire-roasted tomatoes (if your garden tomatoes, like mine, have come and gone already)…

Oh and this time I opted for chickpeas and some pancetta. So… you know the drill!

got butter? mmm...

Turning to the other end of the kohlrabi, the beautiful purple- or light green-skinned “meat” can be eaten out of hand, shredded for slaw, chopped fairly fine and added to a potato or chicken or tuna salad for some crunch, or you can quarter the slightly ovate part and oven roast it as you would potatoes, parsnips, or other more rootish veggies.

Oh and, I don’t bother to peel it, especially if it is young, small, and tender. I think it is prettier “skin on”. I’m thinking it could be pickled as well, but I haven’t tried that yet. Have any of you? Mmmm…

So, no recipe specifics or specific recipes this time, just some thoughts on overall deliciousness as we consider the kohlrabi…

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