01 02 03 Edge Of My Plate: Kohlrabi with Meatballs and Potatoes 04 05 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 31 32 33

Kohlrabi with Meatballs and Potatoes

34
Kohlrabi seems to be the new "in" vegetable in Austrtalia, I remember when I lived here before (between 2007 and 2011) I found it really hard to get my hands on Kohlrabi. 
The thing is, I absolutely love Kohlrabi and grew up with it my whole life in Germany. My parents have a lovely veggie patch in their garden and grow Kohlrabi every year. My mother knows of my love of Kohlrabi and usually makes at least one dish involving Kohlrabi when I go home for holidays.
Living near the South Melbourne Market mean that I can get Kohlrabi on any market day now!
And they're great quality, too! Kohlrabi can sometimes be a bit woody, but these ones have always been fresh, nice and tender. 
Kohlrabi is a vegetable that grows just above the soil, comes from the cabbage family and the taste can probably best be described as that of a broccoli stem. It comes in purple and white-green, you usually get the white-green variety over here. Kohlrabi can be eaten either raw or cooked. If you chop it finely in a food processor and mix it with apple and beetroot it makes for a delicious salad or you boil it in stock and add some cream at the end or you layer it with potatoes for a delicious gratin or, or, or. There are lots of options! 
Kohlrabi in my parent's garden
This recipe is probably my favourite version of using Kohlrabi and it reminds me of home.
Kohlrabi with Meatballs and Potatoes (serves 4)
500 g beef mince
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 tsp mustard
1 egg
salt & pepper
800 g Kohlrabi
1 cube vegetable stock
750g Kipfler potatoes (or any other potatoes really)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
200ml cream
3 sprigs flat leave parsley

Using your hands, mix together the mince, breadcrumbs, egg, mustard, salt and pepper. Form 12 meatballs and put aside.
To prepare the Kohlrabi wash it, take the green leaves off and peel like and apple. Half it, then quarter and cut into 0.5cm slices. Bring 500 ml of water to the boil, stir in the stock cube. Boil the Kohlrabi for 10 minutes covered. Wash potatoes, peel and cut into half or quarter (depending on the size). Cook potatoes in boiling water with plenty of salt for about 20 minutes. 
Heat oil in a frypan, fry meatballs and push down slightly to flatten them a bit. Fry for about 5 minutes on each side.
Strain Kohlrabi preserving the stock it has been boiled in. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour and stir on low heat for about 5 minutes. Pour in 300 ml of the stock and the cream, let simmer for another 5 minutes. 
Wash parsley, keep some for garnish and chop the rest finely. Add Kohlrabi to the sauce and warm up again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Serve sprinkling some parsley over the Kohlrabi and potatoes. Enjoy and feel a little bit German while you're eating this.

Labels: , , , ,

35 36 37 38