I dig my CSA share from Waterpenny Farm -- you support local, sustainable farming practices and come to appreciate the flavors of seasonal produce. This 'warm & fuzzy feeling' is coupled with the element of surprise.. like ooh, what was ripe enough to harvest this week? And then... every once in a while... comes the big "HUH?"
You know what I'm talking about. You find at the bottom of your bag, some random piece of produce that creates the follow reaction: "WTF is this thing and what am I supposed to do with it?!?!" That instance happened this week.
Kohlrabi.
I cut a piece off and ate it. Hmmm... crunchy, light and reminds me of cabbage. So I pulled out my Larousse Gastronomique (a culinary encyclopedia) and found out more. Apparently, it's "a vegetable of the cabbage family (SCORE, got that right!) whose fleshy stalk swells at the base like a turnip. Tender when young, kohlrabi is prepared like a turnip or celeriac and may be eaten raw or cooked." Well, okay. I sort of assumed it could be cooked.
So I dug around more to see what people do with it. It apparently, can be roasted and is used in some Indian dishes. But what really caught my eye was that some folks have pickled it. I thought that would be a perfect way to build on the crispy-ness of the kohlrabi. So, here it is - a recipe for pickled kohlrabi.
PS. Is there anything that you can't pickle?!?
Ingredients
1/2 of a kohlrabi
1 cup of water
1 cup of white vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
4 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp of pickling spice
3-4 stalks of dill
Preparation
1. Slice the kohlrabi into 1/2 inch slices and then cut into thirds to be about the width of 2 inches.
2. Stuff a canning jar with the kohlrabi slices, two cloves of garlic (peeled), and dill.
3. Combine water, vinegar, pickling spices, salt and sugar in a small pot and heat over medium-high heat until it boils and the salt and sugar dissolve.
4. Pour liquid over kohlrabi in the mason jar.
5. Place lid on top and screw on cap. Allow to cool and then place in the refrigerator to chill. Serve the next day and can be kept up to one week.
This week, we got our first CSA share of the season. Our share of seasonal vegetables comes from Waterpenny Farm, out in Sperryville, VA. They have lots of great vegetables and some seasonal fruits which are both delicious.
One of the items that came in our first delivery was a bunch of kale. I'm going to admit it, I am not a huge fan of kale. It is really tough and I find it to be too chewy in a regular salad. I've used it in soups, and that works out well. But I definitely struggle with what to do with kale as a side dish.
But now I've found a way to make it into a snack - spicy kale chips. Using one of my favorite ingredients, chili oil. Light and crispy, these kale chips are *gone* the same day I make them.
Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon of chili oil
1 tablespoon of olive oil
6-8 stalks of fresh kale
salt
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
2. Rinse kale and pat dry. Remove ribs from the center of the kale and cut leaves into 3 inch pieces.
3. Place kale in a bowl and add oils, toss to mix. Sprinkle with salt.
4. Lay kale in a single layer on a baking sheet.
5. Cook in the oven for ten minutes and turn kale over. Cook for another 10 minutes until crispy.
6. Remove from oven and place on paper towels to cook and remove excess oil. Enjoy as a yummy snack!
