Our kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson puts the unusual root vegetable kohlrabi centre stage.
Kohlrabi isn’t found on too many menus, but it’s not to be overlooked at this time of year. I love it with other root vegetables, as in the main recipe this week.
Cod with kohlrabi and root-vegetable crown
Ingredients
- 2 kohlrabies
- 3 beetroots
- 1 golden beetroot
- 1 small butternut squash
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 crushed clove garlic
- 1tbspn wholegrain mustard
- 2tbspn maple syrup
- 30g butter
- 4 cod fillets
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 75ml double cream
- Pea shoots to garnish
More ways with kohlrabi
A side of roasted kohlrabi
Peel a couple of kohlrabies, cut into even-sized pieces and drizzle with olive oil. Put them in a roasting tray with a couple of sprigs of rosemary on top and roast for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. Discard the rosemary, add a little lemon juice and grated Parmesan, toss well and serve. Delicious with pheasant Milanese and rocket salad.
Kohlrabi soup with hazelnut pesto (serves 2)
Peel and dice a kohlrabi, toss it in olive oil and roast in a moderate oven for 30 minutes. Gently fry a chopped onion, a finely diced carrot and 2 diced sticks of celery, add the kohlrabi to the pan and pour in enough chicken stock to just cover the vegetables. Simmer gently, tasting for seasoning. Process to a smooth purée, then add 50ml of cream and mix. In a food processor, combine 50g of toasted hazelnuts, 1 sprig of rose- mary, a handful of rocket leaves, juice from 1 lemon, 50g of grated Parmesan and 75ml of olive oil and process to a paste. Spread the pesto on toasted sourdough and serve with the warmed soup.
Kohlrabi-and-potato rösti
Peel, grate and mix together equal amounts of potato and kohlrabi. Wrap them in a tea towel and squeeze firmly to remove any excess water. Heat butter and oil in a non-stick frying pan, then add small rounds of the kohlrabi and potato. Season and, once golden, turn over and cook the other side. Serve with meat dishes or topped with smoked salmon and sour cream.
Pizza as you’ve never seen it before, with kohlrabi, mozzarella and pea shoots
Kohlrabi isn’t the prettiest of things, but it really does taste quite delicious.
Recipe: Thomasina Miers’s sweet potato shepherd’s pie
Thomasina Miers has shared this delicious recipe to help disaster relief charity Shelterbox.
Fig, rosemary and balsamic roasted chicken with roasted fig parcels
The flavours in this recipe will make you feel as though you're in Provence.