K is for kohlrabi

Three things initially attracted me to using a kohlrabi:

1. It's purple
2. It looks like it's not of this earth
3. It was the only thing I could think of that began with a k

So, not the deepest of deep thinking, but still, the look of the bulb entranced me - a round, violet, betendrilled monster.

But where to start? I'd never eaten kohlrabi, let alone prepared one or cooked with it, so I didn't really know where to start after I took one home from a nearby grocer.

A quick Google, and I hit upon the Classic Stuffed Kohlrabi recipe on the Abel and Cole site which I tweaked by (obviously) removing the meat, and replace it with nuts, as well as swapping out the cream and butter for vegan equivalents.


It all went down here from there. Once I got the kohlrabi's bright purple skin off, there was just a pale, bulbous veggie underneath. 

The recipe says "spoon out the inside", implying the sort of dainty activity that could be attempted by a weary toddler. Not so - you'd need more a spoon with a chainsaw edge to accomplish the removal of a kohlrabi insides without much swearing and straining of muscles.

Stil, some minutes of wrestling and cursing later, and a denuded kohlrabi lay before me. Stuffed, it went into the pan to simmer for 45 minutes.

Yes, 45 minutes. I could have ordered a takeaway and have it delivered in that time, but this was a new veggie! I was willing to wait.

And was all the simmering worth it? Er, no.

The stuffing tasted of sod all, but that's by the by - I was here for the kohlrabi.

What a disappointment then to find out it was fibrous, tasteless and much like a potato without any redeeming features. Argh!

Still, not all my experiments can be a success, and I've learned one very important lesson: never judge a vegetable by its cover.

Comments

  1. I had actually never heard of kohlrabi...what a pity it didn't live up to its looks! Still, at least you tried something new, and you introduced me to a vegetable I didn't know of :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ha ha ha! I've been given kohlrabi out of a friend's CSA box and I never decided on what to do with it before it got gross. At least you made a good story out of it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. i dont think i have cooked with kohlrabi yet. this is funs tory to remind me not topick it up:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've seen kohlrabi around but have never known what to do with it so I've never tried it before. I feel your pain with the unsuccessful experiment, not all of my cooking has been ideal this month but at least it's good experience! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I haven't ever tried it either and like you wouldn't have known what to do with it. I am so sorry that after all that fussing about it was bland and boring :(

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wise lesson there at the end! Major points for finding something with the letter K, and for an entertaining post! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a sad little story. I've never tried kohlrabi, and can't say I'm planning to anytime soon. Kudos for giving it a shot.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yeah, kohlrabi is not my favorite veggie. I would not say I dislike it, but I never get excited to eat it.

    Have you ever tried celeriac? Those 2 veggies are a bit similar in my mind, perhaps because of their similar names in French (céleri-rave and chou-rave), but I still prefer celeriac... I know at least 2 good recipes to prepare it. They're slaws.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Given your reasons for using kohlrabi, I'm left wondering why I've never picked one up before! Too bad it was crappy - maybe it would be better with a different preparation method? That's what I thought of eggplants at first, but I really don't care for them no matter how they're made.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts