Horseradish Kohlrabi Slaw
Earlier this spring I signed up with OddBox which is a company that is fighting food waste by focusing on saving fruit and veg from farms by buying the things that have been overproduced or that grocery stores think are too weird to put on the shelf. I very much believe in their mission and can confirm my participation is making me both a more creative and more confident cook.
This is how I came to be in possession of a kohlrabi. I had never seen one in person before and definitely had never bought one (or even seen any in the store.) Generally, they aren’t a popular enough vegetable for stores to want to carry them which is how it ended up in my veg box, I imagine. It looks like a turnip, tastes like an echo of broccoli and has the crisp texture of an apple. I’ll be honest, the flavor isn’t what you’re going to want to exploit in a kohlrabi just because there isn’t much there but the texture gives you a lot to work with. Considering the nutritional benefits they contain, such as being higher in vitamin C than a lemon, they are worth having around the kitchen.
You can eat them raw or cooked but the most common preparation seems to be raw and in some kind of slaw. See earlier note about their very delicate taste but great texture. Everyone has their favorite kind of slaw whether it is with lots of mayonnaise or lots of vinegar. But you generally are starting with cabbage so need a strong flavor to stand up with it. I was looking for something a little different so thought horseradish would do the trick. We had also run out of cress and needed something strong to go on our favorite steak sandwich. This slaw was just the ticket. It has great crunch from the apple and greens and the spicy kick of the horseradish. It would be great alongside something rich like roast beef and gravy.
It is a nice change from your more traditional picnic coleslaws and I will definitely be making it again. Just goes to show that when you try something new there’s always the opportunity to be pleasantly surprised!
