Dec 1

Dec 1 Kohlrabi

Starter Kitchen Series, Buddha Bowl, Deborah Madison

Kohlrabi is a purple or sometimes light green vegetable that looks like a spaceship with long arms. It is highly seasonal with a short window of opportunity, so when you find it, grab a few bulbs and enjoy it while you can!

Whether roasted or raw, we first have to remove the outside layer, which is too thick for a vegetable peeler. It’s best to carefully cut it off. Remove the purple/green layer and also the layer that has lots of little veins. The greens can be kept and sauteed like spinach or chard.

RAW

It works really well like a slaw- grated or sliced into thin strips, then tossed with a vinaigrette. To demonstrate, I’m going to toss it with shredded brussels sprouts for a fall slaw but you can mix it with any cabbage or lettuce.

I first tried grating it on a box grater, but it made the pieces so wet - it was just going to stick together in a wad, not at all like the slaw salad we’re working towards. It might work well in a food processor with the grater attachment. I also have a mandoline with a thin set of teeth so I can manually make matchstick-sized pieces like this.

While I have the mandoline out, I’ll remove the teeth and shred the brussels sprouts. And I’ll pour a mustard vinaigrette over the shredded brussels sprouts, mix it together, and there it is.

The flavor is mild enough that you could sprinkle grated kohlrabi into any salad to give a gentle crunch.

ROASTED

Roasted Kohlrabi - from Deborah Madison's "The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone"
4-6 small kohlrabi, green or purple
olive oil, for coating
sea salt and freshly milled pepper
For garnish: smoked paprika, Malden sea salt, grated Parmesan cheese, toasted sesame seeds, toasted fennel seeds, mustard

Heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Peel the kohlrabi and slice it into rounds about 3/8 inch thick. Toss them with oil to coat lightly and season with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Lay them on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes, turning them once or twice so that they brown fairly evenly. Remove and toss with any of the suggested garnishes, then serve.