Kohlrabi confetti: a recipe

It’s not easy to love kohlrabi. Just look at it. It’s a stout, chubby bulb with little spindly little arms, which you must hack away in order to peel, slice, and eat the damn thing. It looks like what the Ewoks could have nibbled on when they weren’t fighting stormtroopers. An alien thing, this unlovely cousin of cabbage. I’ve honestly been a little scared of it. In fact, Maria and I pretty much ignored our kohlrabi from last year’s farm share. An e-mail exchange last July went pretty much like this:

Maria: Do you want anything extra this week from the share?
Me: Nah, but thanks. I really, really hope we don’t get kohlrabi.
Maria: I still have my kohlrabi from about a month ago. I can relieve your conscience and toss back a kohlrabi if you want.
Me: That’s hilarious, because I still have all 3 I’ve ever gotten. Every time I open the right crisper drawer, there they are, staring at me.

[Well, I ignored it; she boldly did her kohlrabi duty.]

I’m happy to say that I’ve now come to terms with this oddball vegetable. Unwilling to face the guilt of throwing away good food, and determined to come up with a pleasurable way to consume it (not raw!), I did my research. I turned up many a colelsaw-like recipe, and transformed them into something I’m inclined to call “kohlrabi confetti.”

To make this slaw, you’ll need:

2 kohlrabi bulbs, peeled
1 apple (preferably a tart one), peeled
4 radishes
2 scallions
a handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves
a handful of mint leaves
juice of 2 limes
salt

If you have a food processor, making this coleslaw is a breeze. Just chop up the apple and kohlrabi into chunks and let the grater attachment work its magic. If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate by hand. Slice the radishes into little matchsticks. Coarsely chop the parsley and mint — the exact amounts do not matter. Toss everything together in a bowl, and add lime juice and salt to taste.

This slaw is cool, crisp and refreshing, an excellent foil for spicy food. I served it with grilled jerk pork tenderloin sandwiches, on challah hot dog buns.

Other kohlrabi slaw recipes from around the web:
Kohlrabi & Apple Slaw with Creamy Coleslaw Dressing
Kohlrabi Slaw
Asian-style kohlrabi slaw