Kohlrabi: friend or foe?

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a relative of the cabbage family. To me, it looks like a planet with a system of orbits. But it tastes like, well, cabbage.

A few Tuesdays ago at the South Side Farmers Market, Josh Jodikinos of Jodikinos Farm gave me some advice on this planetoid-vegetable.

Josh said that some people think kohlrabi gets woody as it grows larger. But really, he assured me, it remains tender until the fall.

To prepare the kohlrabi, Josh suggested first peeling it like a potato, then slicing it like a tomato. (Make sure you peel off the entire outer layer. Otherwise, you’ll be chewing on bitter, sinewy strands)

Josh and Pedro from Jodikinos Farm

You can cook kohlrabi any way you can cook a potato, but you can also use it on a veggie tray—Josh had eaten one raw earlier that day.

I peeled and sliced the kohlrabi when I got home. Dipped in ranch dressing, it made for a nice, crunchy snack. Later experiments with the vegetable, however, weren’t so successful.

Rhubarb Crumble Bars (a.k.a. Rhu-Barbara Bars)

After getting over my apprehension about rhubarb, I wanted a way to make it portable. Pies are too much work. Crisps are best warm, straight from the oven. Hmmm. What about a fruit-filled bar cookie? I adopted this Classic Date Bar date bar recipe from Epicurious and replaced the date filling with rhubarb for a tidy, tasty snack you can pack in your lunch. My Dad dubbed these “Rhu-Barbara Bars” after me. Thanks Dad!

Tart rhubarb filling sandwiched between cinnamon-oatmeal crumble makes for a delightful bar cookie.

6 stalks of rhubarb, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2-3 tablespoons of sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, diced, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8×8-inch metal baking pan.Put chopped rhubarb in small saucepan. Top with 2 tablespoons of sugar, and add a few tablespoons of water to cover the bottom of the saucepan. Heat on high to boil. Then reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick, 10-20 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool and stir in vanilla extract. (Compote should be tart but not mouth-puckering. Add an extra tablespoon of sugar if necessary.) 

Combine flour, sugar, oats, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in large bowl stir to blend. Cut in butter with pastry cutter or blend with fingertips until combined. Press half of oat mixture evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Spread with rhubarb compote. Sprinkle with remaining oat mixture. Bake until brown at edges and golden brown and set in center, about 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Cut into 16 bars.

Serve cold as a bar cookie, or warm with vanilla ice cream.

Strawberries and Cream Salad with Almond-encrusted Chicken

The strawberries I bought at the Lawrenceville Farmers Market were so much more fragrant and flavorful than the ones from the grocery store, so I didn’t want to hide them in a dessert. This salad spotlights them in the main course. It also used up the spinach, arugula and mesclun greens that were starting to bolt in my garden.

Serves 4

1 cup sliced almonds
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed  
1 egg
1 lb of chicken tenderloins (or 4 small chicken breasts)
Salad greens for 4 people
1 pint strawberries
4 ounces of goat cheese 
2 green onions, chopped
balsamic vinegar 

Crush almonds with the back of a spoon. Combine on a small plate with thyme and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into egg. Then roll in almond mixture. Arrange chicken on lightly oiled baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes. (Larger or thicker pieces will take longer.)

While chicken is baking, divide salad, strawberries and goat cheese among 4 plates. Top with chicken, sprinkle with green onions and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

(If you’d prefer to grill the chicken, roll the goat cheese into balls and then roll in almond-thyme-garlic mixture.)