Showing posts with label KOHLRABI. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KOHLRABI. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 25, 2009


And now for that Kohlrabi Recipe
Have you ever eaten a kohlrabi? These little sputnik-shaped vegetables come in green or purple, can be eaten raw or cooked, and taste a lot like broccoli stems. The word kohlrabi is German for cabbage turnip (kohl as in cole-slaw, and rübe for turnip) though kohlrabi is more related to cabbage and cauliflower than to root vegetables.



Kohlrabi Ham Bake Recipe

Ingredients
3 Tbsp butter
4 kohlrabi, peeled and diced
8 ounces thick ham, diced
2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
3 egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
Pinch of mace (can substitute ground nutmeg)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the diced kohlrabi and gently cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
2 Beat the egg yolk, and whisk in the heavy cream, flour, mace, salt and pepper until well combined.
3 Place half of the cooked kohlrabi on the bottom of an oven-proof casserole dish. Layer on the diced ham and parsley. Top with the remaining kohlrabi. Pour the sauce ingredients over the kohlrabi and ham.
4 Bake for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
From Elsie on Simply Recipes

Wednesday, March 11, 2009




LEEKS AND KOHLRABI

MY MOM SERVED THESE WHEN I WAS A CHILD AND I WILL POST THE RECIPES AS SOON AS MOM IS FEELING BETTER, AS I WANT TO TRY THESE AGAIN. I DO REMEMBER ONE WAS IN A WHITE SAUCE. DOES ANY ONE ELSE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS/RECIPES?
What Are Leeks?
Leeks look more or less like a giant scallion, and in some ways that’s exactly what they are. They are part of the genus Allium, which you may remember from such foods as onions, garlic, and scallions. The white and light green portions are normally the parts that people eat, and they have a mild onion flavor that is slightly sweet - much less harsh than a normal onion. The dark green leaves can be used in stocks or soups for flavor.
Leeks can be grown in fairly cold temperatures. It is interesting that in order to get a longer white base (the delicious part), farmers will stack dirt around the plant as it grows, keeping more of it from sunlight. As a plant with many layers, this means that dirt gets deep inside the plant, so it needs to be washed well.
What Should I Look For?
When buying leeks, look for ones with large, white bases. They should not be slimy, dried out, or browning. Just store them in loosely wrapped plastic in the refrigerator and they should last for a couple weeks.
What are Kohlrabi
When is a root vegetable not a root vegetable? When it's a small bulbous member of the cabbage family called kohlrabi, that's when. For all intents and purposes, kohlrabi appears to be a root vegetable in the same company as turnips, radishes and rutabagas. However, the bulbous shape of kohlrabi is caused by a swelling of the plant's stem near the ground. In that sense, kohlrabi is more of a tightly packed version of its cousin, cabbage. In fact, the name kohlrabi is derived from two German words: kohl meaning cabbage and rabi meaning turnip. It is not unusual to hear the term "turnip cabbage" to describe kohlrabi.
Despite its connections to cabbage and turnips, steamed or boiled kohlrabi is said to taste more like broccoli or Brussels sprouts. Indeed, kohlrabi is in the same general category, the Brassica oleracea Gongylodes group, as the broccoli it resembles in flavor. It can also be used in lieu of cabbage in many of the sausage and cabbage dishes favored in German cooking.
A raw kohlrabi can also be eaten like an apple, although it contains far less sugar. Some people find the taste of raw kohlrabi to be an acquired one, but many people who were raised in largely German communities in the Midwest grew up eating kohlrabi whenever it was in season. One town in Illinois even held annual festivals in honor of the kohlrabi, but such enthusiasm for the vegetable has waned somewhat in recent years.
There are certain things to consider when shopping for kohlrabi. Kohlrabi is not always available in the produce section of many grocery stores. It it very seasonal, and low consumer demand often keeps it off the truck for long-distance deliveries. The best kohlrabi is usually found in farmers' markets or locally owned produce stores.
Ideally, a kohlrabi bulb should be about the size of an apple or smaller, approximate 3 inches in diameter. Anything larger could have noticeably less flavor or woody sections. Kohlrabi may look like a root vegetable, but it should be displayed separately from true root vegetables such as turnips or rutabagas. Kohlrabi plants have a distinctive leafy stalk protruding from the top of the swollen stem. This stem is usually removed before chopping the actual kohlrabi bulb for steaming or boiling in salted water.