Experiments with kohlrabi

The boxes have had kohlrabi in them the past few weeks. Kohlrabi is a pretty veggie, but it's a veggie that I've not really figured out yet. I like its leaves sautéed; with grits, they seem very much like collard greens.

I've steamed kohlrabi in chunks before, usually with some broccoli, as it's then like broccoli stems. I've also put it into broccoli casserole, making it a kohlrabi and broccoli casserole. But I'd like to find ways to eat it that don't involve broccoli, because we get kohlrabi more frequently than broccoli and also because the husband does not like broccoli.

With the kohlrabi from two weeks ago, I tried making a salad with a recipe from a farm email from a few years ago, with kohlrabi, radishes, and green garlic dressing. I started by peeling and cubing the kohlrabi. Both the husband and I tried a raw cube of kohlrabi, with was a bit radish-like.

The recipe called for boiling the kohlrabi for 5 minutes, which completely changed the taste (and the texture too, but that was to be expected). While neither of us was happy with the cooked kohlrabi, I decided to finish the salad, hoping that the dressing would improve the taste of the cooked kohlrabi.

Verdict: It didn't. We ate the salad, but didn't enjoy it. I'm not putting the recipe here, as I wouldn't recommend it.

So when I saw two kohlrabi in this week's box (one green, one purple), I started to think about how to eat them differently. I had read somewhere that you could eat them raw, sliced thin with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt. So I prepared them that way. I liked it; the olive oil seemed delicate with the kohlrabi. The husband suggested some acid, so I added some white balsamic vinegar, effectively making what tasted like a quick pickle.  

It was good, but was tasting a bit too much like a cole slaw to me, which didn't fit with the pasta with broccoli rabe we were having for dinner. I've seen many recipes for slaw using kohlrabi; after this salad, I'm definitely going to try making a slaw with the next delivery of kohlrabi, particularly since I still have many carrots in the fridge. 

Kohlrabi experiments will continue. I wonder if it might also be good in the daikon cake recipe in place of the daikon, just as I did with the purple top turnips.