Kohlrabi Puré

This is a kohlrabi. 

http://sweetwater-organic.org/veggies/kohlrabi/

Up until last year I had nary a clue what to do with these oddly shaped bulbs.  I knew them to be members of the cabbage family, and that was about it. But, one day a friend served it at a dinner party, and it was like nothing I had ever tasted. So the next time at the farmer's market I bravely bought one, went home and googled it (I'm still not quite used to that being a verb) and found a recipe that seemed similar to what I had eaten. There has been no going back since. Now I give off a cry of delight when I spot these sweet little knobs. And here is an additional bonus: it turns out that one serving gives you 90% of your daily vitamin C requirement...who knew? All the more reason to love them. Look for 2-3 inch diameter young bulbs when buying.

This makes a lovely, silken side dish. The delicate, slightly crunchy kohlrabi plays so well off the mushrooms, which in turn provide a slight meatiness to the dish. And finally, the splash of cream rounds it all out to an ethereal creamy texture. This is not a fussy recipe so you can play around with the amounts of mushrooms and onions to your heart's delight.

Kohlrabi and Portobello Puré 

(I know, I know, it's not pretty, but it is yummy)

2-3 knobs kohlrabi

Do not peel, cube and boil in lightly salted water until just tender (10-15 minutes). Drain and set aside.

6-8 portobello mushrooms, diced

1/2 large onion, diced

3-4 cloves of garlic, diced

3 tablespoons heavy cream

salt & pepper

Heat a small pan, add olive oil or butter and cook the mushroom-onion mix until clear and soft. Do not allow to brown.

Add all of the ingredients to a food processor (or blender) and process to a fine puré. Adjust the seasoning, add more cream if needed. Serve warm. It goes very well with all meats, white fishes and chicken. We just had it with salmon which was ok, but perhaps not the ideal pairing. Salmon is tricky that way.