Kohlrabi (Photo credit: Tobyotter)

The kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family also called cabbage turnip. This vegetable is a native of the northern part of Europe and is available during the summer and early fall.

This odd looking cabbage has turnip like leaves on long, slender stems that grow out of a thickened or swollen stem portion.

Both the leaves and the bulb of the kohlrabi are eaten. The fresh green leaves, when cooked in the same way as spinach, taste like mild cabbage. The globular stems are the part of this vegetable most commonly used and are often found in the market with the leaves trimmed away. Select bulbs that appear fresh and unscarred. The small young bulbs, measuring no more than three inches in diameter, have a most delicate flavor, resembling mild white turnips. Since kohlrabi tops deteriorate quite rapidly, remove the leaves before storing. Kohlrabi will keep for several days in the refrigerator crisper.

To prepare kohlrabi for cooking, strip off the tough outer skin. Then, slice or dice the tender white flesh and cook the kohlrabi in a small amount of boiling, salted water until it is tender. To serve, simply butter the cooked vegetable or mash it and season it with dry mustard, tarragon, thyme, or bottled hot pepper sauce.

Raw, thinly sliced kohlrabi, either plain or salted, is a pleasing and crisp cocktail accompaniment. And slivers of kohlrabi also add an unusual, yet pleasant flavor to a tossed green salad.

Here is a simple, but delicious recipe that uses kohlrabi as one of the main ingredients.

Kohlrabi And Ground Beef Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 ½ cups diced, peeled kohlrabi
1 cup coarsely chopped cabbage
1 cup sliced carrot
12 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
¼ cup snipped parsley
2 10 ½-ounce cans condensed beef broth
1 soup can of water
½ teaspoon salt

In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef and drain off the excess fat. Add the diced kohlrabi, coarsely chopped cabbage, the sliced carrot, the chopped onion, the chopped celery, the snipped parsley, the condensed beef broth, the water, and the salt. Simmer this mixture, covered, until the vegetables are tender. Ladle the Kohlrabi soup into soup bowls to serve.

You can also find some delicious soup recipes at Simply Soup and Grandma’s Favorite Soup Recipes. Both of these have some easy and simple soup recipes.