During lockdown, when I was shopping for my parents, they always put kohlrabi on their shopping list. This tart, earthy yet slightly sweet member of the cabbage family isn’t a vegetable I often bought, but I started getting one for them and one for me, gaining a new appreciation for it along the way.
Like cabbages, it can be eaten raw or cooked. My dad likes to eat it like a pear, cut into wedges, crunchy and raw. I love it in simple slaws, like the recipe below. You can also roast it and use it in soups either chunky or pureed. Kohlrabi leaves can be shredded and added to salads or soups too. You can find green and purple varieties – if they look particularly leathery, peel the outer layer, but I don’t usually find it necessary for this recipe.
Serves: 4-6, as a side salad
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 (approx. 400 grams / 14 oz) kohlrabi, trimmed, cut in 6 pieces
- 10-12 mint leaves
- 40 grams (1.4 oz) olive oil
- 30 grams (1 oz) Chardonnay vinegar
- salt flakes
- 1-2 radishes, finely sliced
- handful baby spinach
- handful pecan nuts
Method
1. Place kohlrabi, most of the mint leaves, olive oil, vinegar and salt in mixing bowl. Chop 3 sec/speed 5. Check if kohlrabi is all chopped – if not, continue for 1 sec/speed 5. Without a Thermomix, grate the kohlrabi, roughly chop most of the mint leaves and gently toss with olive oil, vinegar and salt.
2. Turn into salad bowl and gently toss with sliced radish, spinach and broken pecan nuts, reserving a few.
3. Taste for salt and garnish with reserved, roughly torn mint leaves.
Tips
- Look for firm kohlrabi that don’t give at all to the touch.
- This salad is best fresh but it does keep for a day in the fridge.
- Serve it with crusty bread and cheese for a simple supper, as a side for a barbecue or for lunch on its own.
Variations
- Add a carrot to the mixing bowl, if you like.
- Use parsley instead of mint.
- Use walnuts instead of pecan nuts.
If you love salad and want more like this one, I think you’re going to enjoy these personally selected recipes:
