Vegetable Digression

What is kohlrabi? I got some in my box of local farm veggies this week. I'd heard of it, but not actually owned, prepared or (as I recall) eaten it.

I could have looked it up online to learn more about it, but that would have ruined the joy of discovery, so we just ate it as suggested by a helpfully included recipe (the farm people must suspect that some of us are unfamiliar with this vegetable).

It turns out that, sliced up and roasted in some olive oil, it makes a pleasant dish that's sort of halfway between a turnip and a potato. Not as sweet as turnip, but with a turniplike texture: mild in flavor like a potato, but not quite as starchy.

It would probably go nicely in my favorite fall concoction, a mix of root vegetables all roasted together (although according to this description, it is misclassified if considered a root vegetable, since the edible portion grows above the soil).

The moral is, do not fear the kohlrabi if you happen upon one. It is a mild-mannered vegetable with a pleasing taste. And, once I finally looked it up, a long and distinguished history.

Now to do something useful with those beets lurking in the crisper drawer.