Do you know what Purple Kohlrabi is?

To be perfectly honest I had no idea what Kohlrabi was, purple or otherwise.  I'm not sure how I've lived three decades (and then some) without ever seeing or tasting it, but there you go.

So when I saw this in the chow locally CSA box I was mystified.  My husband and I guessed perhaps a type of kale or chard?  But the weird purple stem threw us off.  Fortunately Chow Locally was kind enough to include a photo chart of the vegetables in the box so we learned that it was a purple kohlrabi which is "a lot like a potato and their leaves are edible in salads".  

I did a little pinterest and googling to find recipes and settled on Kohlrabi Greens and Kohlrabi Parmesan.

Kohlrabi Greens

(inspired by this recipe on culinate)

Ingredients

1-2 large bunch kohlrabi with greens (I had 2 kohlrabi)

1 tsp sesame oil

soy sauce to taste

Directions

1. Cut away the leaves from the tough ribs and stems.  Bring a pot of water to boil, add the kohlrabi greens and boil until tender, about 2-5 minutes depending on the age of the leaves.  Fish out a leaf after 1 minute to determine cooking time.
2. Drain the greens in a colander and push on them with a spatula to remove as much water as possible.  Roughly chop the greens and put them on a serving plate.  Add sesame oil and soy sauce and toss to mix.
3. Serve immediately. 

I thought the greens tasted a lot like spinach or chard, but a little sweeter.  I really enjoyed the added flavor of the sesame oil and soy sauce.  My husband wasn't a big fan however.  The 4 year old ate the greens and the next recipe too without any complaints.  That may have been because I bribed her with a quarter if she ate her entire meal without complaining. ;)

Kohlrabi Parmesan

(find original recipe on bellesqueaks)

Ingredients

2-3 medium kohlrabi trimmed of leaves and stalks

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup grated parmesan (fresh)

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp minced parsley

Directions

1. Peel kohlrabi 1/8th inch deep
2. Shred with grater or food processor (I used a grater)
3. Cook kohlrabi with butter over medium heat, stirring often until tender, about 8 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with cheese, salt and pepper.  Toss and cook until the cheese just melts, about 1 minute.
5. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

This recipe was interesting.  I thought the kohlrabi smelled a lot like a cabbage while I was preparing it.  It looked similar to cole slaw and then while cooking looked a bit like hash browns.  However, it didn't taste like hash browns, ha!

I pared these recipes with salmon and it made for a very light and healthy meal. So healthy that I had to make up for it later by eating 3 brownie bites.