Kohlrabi, Three Ways

Two week ago, I received my first batch of kohlrabi in the CSA.  Kohlrabi is not new to me.  When I sold veggies at the market for Gene, I would work the kohlrabi like no body else out there.  Almost every single person asked me what they could do with kohlrabi.  I said "you can cook it like a potato or eat it raw in a salad."  What does it taste like?  "Sort of a cross between a potato and an apple."  Now, I would add that it does have some slight bitterness than neither apples, nor potatoes have.  Kohlrabi is cheap.  And probably easy to grow, not that I know anything about that.  So eat it up!

My CSA is fancy so we got the purple kohlrabi, which you can see in the far left in the pic above and in the pic below.  I thought it might be purple on the inside, but it was just regular on the inside.  And there is the rest of our CSA from this past week (we got kohlrabi two weeks in a row!)  Can you believe how much produce we got?  We scarfed our salad greens (curly endive, red and green leaf lettuce, salad mix) in a matter of days.  Then moved to the dark greens (collards and kale), ate those up in a few days.  Also got some little broccoli heads, savoy cabbage, and garlic scapes.

 A lot of my CSA goes into salads, stir fry, pizzas, and other things I whip together off the top of my head.  That is what I love about the CSA box.  And I get giddy when Tuesday comes around and I get to go pick ours up.  Like butterflies in my stomach.  IT HAS BEEN SO DELICIOUS.

This dish is a perfect example of something I would never make if I didn't get a CSA box.  It was good!  The name of the dish is in honor of every dish on Chopped or Top Chef.  The base of the dish is a puree of the kohlrabi greens and white beans.  Our farm takes such good care of the produce we get.  The greens are always impeccable.  I find a lot of times beet greens or any of those other turnipy greens don't look so hot.  But all the produce I have gotten so far has been basically perfect.  Next is a fritter made from the bulb.  On top of that is a little fresh kohlrabi lightly dressed with olive oil and vinegar and some fresh basil.

My next plan to show you what I have been doing with my CSA.  Hopefully that will give you some ideas of how to use all the stuff that is currently growing (greens!)

Kohlrabi, Three Ways
by foodforscot

2 kohlrabi bulbs and greens
salt and pepper
olive oil, for shallow frying
1st way:
a small handful of basil, julienned fine
1 tsp of white wine vinegar
1 tsp of olive oil
2nd way:
1 14.5 oz. can of Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
handful of grated parmesan cheese
3rd way:
1 egg
~¼ cup potato flour (or any flour)

Cut off the bulbs from the greens. Wash the bulbs and greens. Peel the bulbs with a sharp knife or a peeler.

1st way: Prepare the fresh salad. Julienne approximately ½ of one of the kohlrabi bulbs. Toss with salt, pepper, basil, olive oil, and white wine vinegar.

2nd way: Make pureed beans and greens. Remove tough stems from kohlrabi greens and roughly chop the leaves. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, add kohlrabi greens, beans, and a small amount of water (enough that you can see it but do not cover beans and greens). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let cook until beans are tender and some of the water has evaporated off. Add more water as needed. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth (or put in food processor or blender). Mix in a handful of parmesan and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3rd way: Make fritters. Shred the rest of the kohlrabi bulbs (1.5 bulbs) using the largest side of a box grater. Toss grated kohlrabi with salt, pepper, egg, and half the flour. Continue adding flour until mixture sticks together enough to maintain its shape when frying.

Preheat a skillet with a healthy amount of olive oil over medium high heat. Pan fry the shredded kohlrabi mixture until golden brown on each side. When done, let drain on a paper towel lined plate. Should make approximately six fritters.

Assemble: Place half of the bean/greens mixture in a wide bowl. Top with three fritters. Top fritters with fresh salad.

(Servings: 2, Prep time: 30 min, Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Intermediate)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10
Scot (taste):  9/10
Effort:  3/5
Dishwashing Effort:  3/5