Without a doubt kohlrabi is the most underused vegetable of the cabbage family.
Would you even recognize one in a vegetable lineup? Charlotte Swancy of Riverview Farms in Canton said that’s one reason she grows kohlrabi. She puts it in the boxes of her community supported agriculture program, and then waits for the reaction.
“It’s definitely a conversation starter for our members. I love to watch their faces when they pull the kohlrabi out of their box and wonder what in the world it is,” she said.
If you’ve never seen kohlrabi, it’s hard to picture. It has a round swollen stem that looks something like an apple and can grow to several inches in diameter. As with many vegetables, the smaller the kohlrabi, the more tender it is. The leaves grow on tall stalks from the swollen stem, and they’re also edible.
Kohlrabi often is grown as a fall and winter crop, but Swancy prefers to sow it in the spring. She finds it’s more reliable than broccoli or cabbage at that time of year.
Kohlrabi generally is peeled before eating, and the pale green flesh is crisp and almost as sweet as an apple, but with a light cabbage flavor. There are green and purple varieties, but the flesh is pale green in both.
Because of its crisp sweetness, kohlrabi often is eaten raw. In fact, that’s Swancy’s favorite way to serve it. She slices it or grates it into a salad.
If you’re interested in Riverview’s kohlrabi, Swancy occasionally brings it to her stand at the Morningside Farmers Market. It’s an on-again, off-again offering at groceries, although I consistently find it at the Buford Highway Farmers Market.
Kohlrabi has just 19 calories in a half cup raw serving and is high in fiber. Buy small bulbs, preferably with the greens still attached. Refrigerated, the bulbs should hold for about a month.
To prepare kohlrabi for serving, cut off the woody base and peel if the outer layer seems at all tough. Thinly slice or grate it for salads or slaw, or cut into thicker slices and serve along with carrot and celery sticks on a crudites platter.
If Swancy’s going to cook kohlrabi, she opts for the simplest preparation possible, just sauteing it in butter. You’ll find recipes for kohlrabi in cookbooks featuring the foods of Italy, France and Germany. There, it might be lightly steamed, boiled or roasted.
Those lovely stems also make a delicious vessel for a savory stuffing. Stuffed vegetables may have fallen out of favor, but perhaps it’s time to bring them back. In the case of kohlrabi, the crisp flesh turns succulent when baked and absorbs the flavors of the stuffing.
At local farmers markets
Vegetables: arugula, Asian greens, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, endive, fennel, lettuce, mache, microgreens, radishes, rutabagas, scallions, sunchokes, sweet potatoes, turnips
From local reports
German-Style Stuffed Kohlrabi
Scooping out the centers of kohlrabi with a melon baller is actually quite easy. Kohlrabi are solid, so there’s little danger of scooping too much away and having the outside break or collapse. If you found kohlrabi with its leaves still attached, chop the leaves and add them to the kohlrabi-chicken broth mixture in the bottom of the baking dish.
Hands on: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Serves: 4
8 3-inch kohlrabi bulbs (about 5 pounds)
1/2 (half) stick (1/4 [quarter] cup) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 (half) cup finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
1 pound ground pork
1/2 (half) cup cooked couscous or fresh bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 (half) cup heavy cream
3 cups chicken broth
Peel the kohlrabi bulbs and trim a quarter inch from the root end so the bulb will stand upright. Use a melon baller to scoop out the pulp from the opposite end, leaving a quarter-inch shell. Reserve pulp. Set bulbs aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, roughly chop kohlrabi pulp. Set pulp aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until golden, about 10 minutes.
While onion is cooking, in a large bowl prepare filling by combining pork, couscous, eggs, parsley, tomato paste and paprika. Stir in onion-garlic mixture. Divide filling evenly between kohlrabi bulbs.
In a medium saucepan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and whisk until combined. Stir in cream and whisk for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and remove from heat. Stir in reserved kohlrabi pulp, and kohlrabi leaves if using.
In prepared baking dish, spread kohlrabi-chicken broth mixture. Nestle stuffed bulbs in the dish. Bake, covered, for 50 minutes to one hour or until kohlrabi bulbs can be pierced easily with a knife.
Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet magazine.
Per serving: 722 calories (percent of calories from fat, 53), 43 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrates, 22 grams fiber, 46 grams fat (20 grams saturated), 244 milligrams cholesterol, 322 milligrams sodium.
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