Mighty Sputnik
A couple of weeks ago this strange and seemingly extra-terrestrial vegetable appeared in our organic box delivery. Thanks to the clever citizens of the internet, I quickly discovered it was kolhrabi.
Most people recommended I try it raw, and indeed the lovely and famous Clotilde once wrote about the joys of pressing slices of it into a wee pile of sea salt. And it sounds even more exotic in French: le chou-rave!
In the end I opted for this Kohlrabi Slaw. If you're trying to lose some blubber, SLAWS ARE YOUR FRIEND, people! Sick of lunchtime salads? Tired of grilled fish for dinner? Worrying about how to fit in your Five A Day? Just get out the grater, baby. It's easy to mow through a pile of vegetables when they're in slaw form. And you don't need barrells of mayo either! This recipe calls for just a few tablespoons, but I think it would taste fine if you left it out altogether and just used the lime juice and vinegar.
We had this with some tuna steaks and a oven-roasted potato wedges. The kohlrabi is zingy and fresh and makes a nice change from ol' fashioned cabbage-based slaws. Thanks for your help, Internet Detectives!
KOHLRABI SLAW
Serves: 4
Source: Slashfood
1 large kohlrabi, peeled and grated
1/2 fuji apple, peeled and grated (I used a whole bog-standard Braeburn!)
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 sweet yellow or red onion, thinly sliced
handful of chopped parsley (whoops, forgot this)
juice of half a lime
3 or 4 shakes of sherry wine vinegar (I subbed white wine vinegar)
mayonnaise, just enough to bind ingredients
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Combine everything in a large bowl. Mix well. Chill 30 minutes to blend flavours. Serve. You cannae get easier than that!
Serving dish courtesy of New Blossom Chinese takeaway down the street. One day I will take a proper photo instead of hasty snaps of leftovers!