kohlrabiKohlrabi is an odd vegetable that I think is often bought more for appearance than for the desire to eat it. Looking like something from a science-fiction movie, they come in lovely deep purple or jade green, and the leaves come up from all over what seems to be the root. However, that turnip-like ball is not a root, but is actually a swelling of the stem that lives above ground, sort of like fennel. If you buy these in the store the leaves are usually trimmed and the kohlrabi itself is usually waxed, and they are not as good as they can be. Kohlrabi can be succulent in the way jicama is, but it has a smoother, tighter texture like a turnip. The flavor is mild–a bit of sweetness with a background of Tokyo turnip and something green like mei quin to it. Kohlrabi is a chameleon of vegetables, assuming the flavors around it and adding nuance. This is a vegetable that should be peeled, and is fine both raw and cooked. I give a recipe for it with a creamy horseradish dressing, but it would be equally at home shredded with carrots and tossed with a light Vietnamese style rice vinegar, sugar, nuoc mam dressing, tossed with cilantro or basil and maybe a couple shreds of serrano chili. Kohlrabi is great for crudités also, as it is firm enough to dip and takes well to other flavors. Cooked, it can be shredded, chunked, or diced. I like to cut it into ½-inch dice and sauté it until it colors up and gets a little crisp on the surfaces and turns tender inside. You could steam it and then flash sauté it, or roast it with other roots in the oven. You can caramelize it just the same as you would Tokyo turnips, but remember the flavor is milder than the turnip when you season it. The leaves are edible too, cooking up like a cross between collards for flavor and maybe spinach for texture. If there are any, there is not usually a lot, so either supplement them with something else, like say the Russian kale you might get in the box, or toss them with the kohlrabi in the pan shortly before you are ready to remove the pan from the heat to serve.

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