Kohlrabi

Have you ever tried kohlrabi before? I hadn't, but was curious. It's such an odd-looking vegetable, like an alien or an internal organ or an alien's internal organ. After picking up two of them at the UM farmers' market for about a dollar, I set about finding out what could be done with the things.

I didn't really find any recipes that satisfied me. Turns out kohlrabi can be eaten raw or cooked and tastes somewhat like broccoli, or cabbage, maybe a bit like unspicy radishes. The texture is crunchy and juicy, like radishes or maybe jicama. They're really not the most flavorful brassica around.

Because I had two of them, I tried one in a cold preparation and one sautéed in brown butter. While the latter was fine, I think the vegetable was far more interesting as a salad component.

Kohlrabi Apple Salad

1 kohlrabi, about fist-sized
1 Granny Smith apple
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons crumbled Feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 1 teaspoon fresh
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife, remove the skin from the kohlrabi. The vegetable can be pretty fibrous, so if you can't easily take a slice off of one end, you may need to shave the thing a bit more to get to the tender bits. Once that's done, cut the vegetable into slender rounds and then cut the rounds into strips, forming rough matchsticks. Do the same with the apple.

Combine kohlrabi, apple, lemon juice, feta, and dill in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4.

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.