Woody Kohlrabi and Miso Cream
This week we finally got round to harvesting the old kohlrabi from the garden. Huge, woody and destined for the compost bin. In the height of the growing season, we’ve all been there. Surrounded by so much food that a few things slip by and pass their best. But old vegetables have their own qualities worth celebrating if you know how to make them edible again. For a lot of roots, the answer is to cook them more like meat, slowly making them more tender again. Once they’ve reached this stage, you’re free to use them in any way you like. Crisp them up in a skillet, dice them into a stew, roast them, pané them in breadcrumbs, deep fry them, or glaze them. Some will require a little more seasoning or clever pairing to balance any bitterness they might have, but the complexities in flavour are well worth the effort.
For this recipe I’ve finished the kohlrabi two ways. The first is with seasoned breadcrumbs to give a lovely golden crunch. The second is pan fried like steak in garlic butter, just enough to colour the skin and heat it through. Both ways are simple enough, I just happened to have some old bread crumbs that needed using up.
Everything about this recipe is the same up until the point of frying at the end. For those who want to do the non-breadcrumbs version, please read below:
Turn the kohlrabi to remove any woodiness around the skin.
Cut it into 1-2cm thick ‘steaks’.
Heat a skillet very hot, then add the kohlrabi with a knob of butter and salt.
Leave it face down for 1 minute then flip it over to cook the other side.
Crush a clove of garlic into the pan and mix it in with the butter, turning the temperature down to a medium.
Once crispy on both sides, plate up with everything else listed in the recipe below.
Woody Kohlrabi and Miso Cream
Slow roasted kohlrabi:
1 Large, woody kohlrabi
50ml White wine
Pinch of smoked sea salt
Drizzle of cooking oil
50ml Water
Meal ingredients:
200ml Single cream (or soy cream)
1tsp White miso
1tsp Lemon juice
0.5tsp Mustard (dijon or wholegrain)
A splash of milk/buttermilk/egg - whichever you have
20g Wholemeal flour
2 Slices of old sourdough bread, blended into crumbs
Pinch of sea salt
1 Spoonful of sauerkraut
Salad leaves and petals
Dressing oil
Step 1.
Preheat the oven at 175C / 350F. Wash the Kohlrabi and snap the leaves off. Place it on a sheet of baking parchment that’s big enough to wrap around it, then in a sheet of foil that’s the same size. Add the salt, oil, wine and water, then wrap the layers up around it firmly enough to trap the liquid in whilst cooking. Pop it on a baking tray and bake for 3 hours.
Once done, keep it wrapped up whilst it cools, then move the whole lot into the fridge to rest overnight.
Step 2.
The next day, remove the kohlrabi from it’s wrapping and remove the top and bottom with a sharp knife. Turn the whole vegetable to remove the skin and any woody exterior that might still be too tough (there shouldn’t be much). Cut it into 0.5cm slices and set aside.
Step 3.
Blend the stale bread into crumbs, then pop them in the oven at 100C / 210F to dry out for 10 minutes. The drier the breadcrumbs are the better they will crisp when fried.
Measure out the milk, flour and crumbs in separate containers. Season the flour, then dust the kohlrabi in order of flour, then milk, then crumbs. Lightly pat each piece to remove any excess that will drop off and burn whilst cooking.
Step 4.
In a small saucepan, mix the cream, lemon juice, miso and mustard with a pinch of salt and gently heat until hot. If the sauce thickens too much or splits, add a little water and mix again until combined.
Heat a frying pan over a high temperature until the pan is very hot. Add enough oil to cover the base in 0.5cm deep cooking oil. After 20 seconds, dip the end of a wooden handle (of a spoon or toothpick) into the oil to see if it bubbles. You want the oil to be piping hot before adding the kohlrabi as this will stop it from absorbing too much oil and going soggy. When hot enough, lay the kohlrabi in the oil and leave them to fry for 1 minute before turning them over. When the breadcrumbs should turn a beautiful golden brown, hook them out and quickly lay them on a paper towel. Fold the towel over the top of them and press down to remove any excess oil. If you’re quick enough at this stage you should still feel bubbling. This stage helps preserve a beautiful texture and crunch and stops the crumbs going soggy and greasy.
Step 5.
To plate up, put a nice amount of the cream sauce on the plate and swipe it to one side. Cut each piece of kohlrabi into chunks and lay them over it. Add the sauerkraut for something acidic and dress with salad leaves. Finally, drizzle with oil and enjoy.