Volunteering at the Market and Roasted Kohlrabi

So I volunteered again at the Farmer's Market with Klipper's Organics.  Well I've volunteered several times but I don't post enough to detail every single volunteer experience!

I am continuing to enjoy my time at the market, falling into the days rhythm of unpacking, stocking, re-stocking and packing.  Taking breaks for chili or scones or just general wandering.  I've watched cooking demonstrations, listened to wonderful music, and sampled, sampled, sampled!  Oh what fun!

At the end of the day this week I took home some beautiful purple kohlrabi.  Kohlrabi, according to my good friend wikipedia is also known as the german turnip and is a cultivar of the cabbage.  It tastes like a cabbage with a hint of turnip flavour, a bit spicy, a bit sulphurous (in a good way) and a lot juicy.  A fresh kohlrabi is really a delicious thing.

Normally I just eat mine raw, chopped up in salad or sliced thin and eaten with hummus.  The larger the kohlrabi the coarser the texture so if you are planning on eating it raw, get 'em small.

While I love raw kohlrabi, I thought it might be interesting to try it roasted.  I wasn't sure what roasting would do to the flesh or the flavour but I do love roasted food so it seemed worth a shot.

Let me tell you I have a new favorite dish.  So simple, so quick, so tasty.  Perfect for the BBQ if you are throwing some meat on and need a nice side dish, great with other roasted veggies to add a different flavour profile and texture.

Directions

1) The oven should be preheated to 400 degrees fahrenheit.  Sometimes I go as high as 425 or as low as 375.  If you cook a lot then you should know your oven fairly well.  A higher heat will give you a nice browning on the outside, something I rather enjoy.

Cut the outer peel off the kohlrabi.  I know it is a bit tragic to lose all of that beautiful purple peel.  It is just gorgeous, but has the texture of wood.  You are left then with a bright bulb of white that needs to be cut into roasting size pieces.  This could be a couple of inches across or one inch across - use your preference.  If the chunks are too small though they lose their rustic feel and who wants that.

2) Once the kohlrabi is chunked and in an oven-proof dish, pour a bit of olive oil on top and sprinkle with a good amount of salt.  Get your clean hands in there and massage the oil and salt into the kohlrabi, making sure the oil is on every surface.

A roasted vegetable without oil is like meat without salt.  There is no point.

Pop the dish into the oven and keep your eye on it.  Periodically (every ten minutes or so) take the dish out and move the kohlrabi around so they get brown on all sides.  The kohlrabi are roasted when they are easily pierced with a fork with golden brown edges.  I don't put any pepper on this dish because I like the look of the white flesh, if you have white pepper you could sprinkle a bit on, adjust for salt, and voila! ready to serve.

The verdict: I have already mentioned that I love this dish but you know it is good when I forget to take an "after" shot for my blog!

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlrabi

----

Shonagh writes An Offal Experiment exploring the guts of food