I’ve never done much with kohlrabi before, so it took some experimenting, but I had a couple of good things this week. First, here’s how I made my Stuffed Kohlrabi:
Remove the stems from 3-4 kohlrabi and fully peel away the tough outer layers of them. Set aside the greens.
Using a coring tool, insert into the center of the peeled kohlrabi, but do not pierce through to the base. You will probably not be able to remove the plug. Insert again, slightly out more toward the edge, again careful not to pierce the base. Continue this process, circling around the original central plug. Then, using a small serrated knife, remove the plugs and scrape a little to make the central cavity fairly smooth. Reserve what you remove from the kohlrabi.
Oil and salt the kohlrabis inside and out. Add a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil to the bottom of a Dutch oven, place the kohlrabis cavity side down and saute until slightly browned. Turn the kohlrabis over onto its base, turn down the heat, add a little water (2-4 TB), put the lid on the Dutch oven, turn down the flame, and cook until the kohlrabis are tender. Set aside until ready to assemble.
KOHLRABI FILLING
Ingredients
- Kohlrabi – inside pulp of 3-4 kohlrabi
- Bok choy – stems, petite diced; greens, chopped 1/4″ pieces
- Brown Basmati rice, 1 cup dried
- Salt, 1/2 tsp.
- Oregano, 1-1/2 tsp.
- Lemon Juice, 1/2 squeezed
Instructions
- Cook the rice until done.
- Chop the kohlrabi pulp, and add to a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil, and saute.
- Add the Bok Chop stems, petite diced, and saute briefly.
- Add the rice to a food processor, then the sauteed ingredients and seasonings.
- Pulse several times until the mixture is evenly mixed and chopped and looks like coarse grains.
- Add seasoning to taste (salt, a little hot paprika if desired)
- Use this mixture to fill the reserved kohlrabi.
- Add marinara to a dish, and place the stuffed kohlrabi on top of it. Add a little more marinara to the top, and a few garlic scapes for garnish.
Note: For a different flavor profile, try using my Matboukha for the sauce, and in the filling, replace oregano with za’atar (available in the Middle Eastern section of some stores).
Now what to do with those tough kohlrabi greens? Read on…
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The Bok choy greens are more tender than kohlrabi, so I used that for the Stuffed Kohlrabi filling, which doesn’t get much processing before it hits my teeth. Here’s what I did with the kohlrabi greens, though: I made my standard Greenie (green smoothie), and it was good! Even my non-green loving husband enjoyed it.
GREENIE (makes 2 16 oz. Greenies or more)
Ingredients
- Ice cubes, 8-10
- Apple juice, about 1/2 cup
- Apple, 1/2 chunked
- Banana, chunked
- Pineapple, 6-8 chunks
- 2-3 cups rough chopped kohlrabi (or any) greens*
Place the ice cubes in a Vitamix (a blender works almost as well). Add apple juice to 1 cup mark. Add apple chunks, banana chunks, pineapple chunks, and chopped greens. Process until smooth and delicious. More ice makes it thicker.
Note: Greens contain a natural toxin to prevent over-grazing and eradication of the plant. Just vary your greens — don’t use the same one all the time. Keep your fruits and other veggies light-colored so you’ll end up with an appetizing, bright green drink.
If you’d like more information about the CSA, please visit Bob’s Fresh and Local (produce) and All Grass Farms (livestock, chickens, milk and cheese).
For more, visit my blog, vegetatingwithleslie.org, “Like” me on FaceBook/Vegetating with Leslie or follow me on Twitter, @vegwithleslie.