Kohlrabi

September 7, 2006

One of the organic gardeners at the local farmers’ market was selling such beautiful kohlrabi the other day I had to buy some. I asked her for cooking ideas. She recommended it for salads, sautéed or roasted. So I gave all three a try. The salad is particularly good.

Kohlrabi might have been cultivated for about 2000 years, but it still hasn’t achieved common vegetable status here of other brassica species.

The name kohlrabi means “cabbage turnip” and the vegetable – which comes in both green and purple varieties – has a swollen almost spherical stem with leafy stalks sprouting from the surface. These stalks are tough and are generally removed.

The first published description of kohlrabi was made by botanist Matthiolus in 1554 and by the end of the 16th century it had been described and drawn by numerous others and was known in Germany, England, Italy, Spain, Tripoli, and the eastern Mediterranean.  It was cultivated in Ireland by the 1730s, England by the 1830s and reached the United States in the early 19th century.

If you’re one of those people who munch on cabbage or cauliflower stalks while preparing the evening vegetables, you’ll love kohlrabi. Raw kohlrabi is mild and crisp and has a slightly nutty flavour.

Kohlrabi sauteed, in a salad and roasted

Kohlrabi Salad

1 kohlrabi bulb
2 red apples
juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 tablespoons sesame oil
flaky salt
1/4 teaspoon brown mustard seeds

Grate the apples, leaving the skin on. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice.

Peel the kohlrabi and grate coarsely. Combine with the apple and sprinkle over the sesame oil and season with salt. Mix well to distribute the dressing. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle over the mustard seeds. Garnish with a few shreds of lemon.

Sauteed Kohlrabi

2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons oil
1 kohlrabi bulb, peeled
salt and freshly ground pepper

Grate the kohlrabi and squeeze out any excess moisture.

Peel and slice the garlic cloves very thinly. Heat the oil in a frying pan and quickly fry the slices of garlic very briefly – just until they start to turn golden. Remove immediately from the oil and drain on a paper towel.

Throw the kohlrabi into the hot oil and turn over several times until it is hot. This will take only a minute or two. Season well with salt and pepper and remove to a serving dish. Sprinkle the toasted garlic slices over the top.

Roasted Kohlrabi

Peel the kohlrabi and chop into chunks about three centimetres in diameter. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper. Tip into a hot roasting pan and roast until tender. This will take about 15 minutes.

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