Many hearty and fun recipes this week–old favorites, adaptations of old favorites and a silky soup. If neither of the kohlrabi recipes below appeal, make a quick kohlrabi and carrot slaw with lime juice, plenty of parsley, minced garlic, olive oil and some thinly sliced onion. Happy cooking!
Dry-fried Beef with Kohlrabi and Carrots
Black Beans, Delicata Squash, Avocado and Cilantro
Roasted Carrot and Cumin Soup with Crispy Pancetta
Kohlrabi and Parmesan Fritters
Roasted Sweet Peppers with Parsley and Garlic
Lentils, Roasted Peppers and Parsley (and Sausage)
Kale Salad with Peanuts and Mint
Green Rice (with Sweet Peppers instead of Anaheims)
Dry-fried Beef with Kohlrabi and Carrots
–slightly adapted from Pure Beef by Lynne Curry
This recipe is from a wonderful cookbook by Lynne Sampson Curry of Joseph, OR. If you like beef and eat local grass fed beef or are curious about cooking grass fed beef properly and creatively, this book is a must have.
1 lb. top round steak, very thinly sliced against the grain 1/4-inch thick
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3-4 medium carrots, scrubbed (no need to peel) an cut into matchsticks as best you can
1 medium-large kohlrabi, peeled and cut into matchsticks (depending on how large yours is you may not need the whole thing)
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thinly and then cut into fine strips, divided
3-4 green onions, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine (mirin)
¾ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
Rice for serving
Season the beef with the salt. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet (or wok) over high heat. When smoking, add the beef and stir until the beef is no longer pink. Try to keep the beef in a single layer in the wok and cook it until the juices have almost evaporated, about 4 minutes. Then stir the strips of meat gently, until they sizzle and turn a darker shade of brown, and additional 2-3 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate and cover.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add the carrots and kohlrabi and cook, stirring constantly, until they start to soften but retain some crispness, about 4 minutes. Add them to the beef.
Add the ginger and the green onions to the pan and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and rice wine and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the beef and vegetables back into the pan along with the sesame oil and stir until hot. Serve immediately with some freshly ground black pepper and the chopped cilantro. Serve with rice.
Green Rice (with Stuffed, Roasted Sweet Peppers)
This is a childhood favorite dish that I have included here before. I recently tried it with sweet peppers (since that’s what I had) instead of Anaheims and it was delicious too and since you have lots of parsley and sweet peppers this week, give it a try.
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, minced (seeds and all) or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large bunch parsley, rinsed well and bottom half of stems removed. Chop the remaining stems and leaves fairly finely
2 cups long grain white (or brown—will take longer to cook) rice
4 cups milk (2% or whole – not skim)
6 sweet peppers (you can use fewer too), roasted over a gas burner until black and blistered or under the broiler
6 ¼-inch thick slices of sharp cheddar (to fill each pepper) about 1 1/2 x 4 “
Salt
Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven or pot for which you have a tight-fitting lid, over medium-high heat. Add the rice to the pan and stir well to coat with oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onion, garlic, hot pepper or chili flakes and parsley and mix well and sauté for 2-3 more minutes. Add the 4 cups of milk and a generous 1 ¼ teaspoon of salt (you may still need more—it takes quite a bit) and bring to a boil but be careful, milk boils over easily and makes a big mess so stay close by. Turn down to very low and cook, covered for 12- 15 minutes.
Carefully peel the peppers, remove the stem and cut down one side of the pepper to remove the seeds. Try to keep the peppers are intact as possible—not a big deal if you don’t but easier to manage if you do. Lay the peeled, deseeded peppers on a cutting board and place a slice of cheese inside each one.
After the rice has ben cooking for about 20 minutes (if you’re using white rice otherwise 35 minutes) and much of the milk has been absorbed, use a large spoon to lift up some of the rice and place the stuffed pepper in the spot you’ve made and re-cover with rice. Continue until you’ve more or less evenly placed all the peppers in the rice. Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the rice is tender and the peppers heated through and the cheese melted. I like to turn the heat up again at the very end to create a bit of a crust on the bottom of the pan. This is a bit risky since you don’t want to burn the rice. Serve hot, making sure everyone gets a pepper.
Black Beans, Delicata Squash, Sweet Peppers, Avocado and Cilantro
This is really just a suggestion of ingredients to combine and a loose technique.. You can add more sweet peppers, hot peppers, spices, other herbs and/or add cheeses or toasted nuts. It’s such a joy to quickly toss together ingredients like this and have a vibrant dish for any time of day.
Quantities are completely up to you as are the ratios. Just taste and adjust with citrus and other seasonings.
Serves 4
2 cups cooked (or canned), drained black beans
1 avocado, diced
2 sweet peppers, trimmed and diced or thinly sliced
1 cup cilantro, leaves and stems, well washed, dried and roughly chopped
2-3 cups winter squash, roasted and cut into bite-sized chunks (don’t need to peel your delicata squash)
1 tablespoon thinly sliced onions
1/2 a garlic clove, minced (optional)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Toss everything together on a platter or large bowl. Taste, adjust seasoning and enjoy.
Roasted Carrot and Cumin Soup with Crispy Pancetta
–Inspired by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall via Racheleats.com
Serves 4
2 lbs carrots, scrubbed and trimmed and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 shallots or 1 – 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
1 large or 2 smaller garlic cloves, peeled and very finely chopped.
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
A good pinch of red pepper flakes
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
4 thin slices of pancetta or bacon (or salted, toasted pumpkin seeds)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Put carrots and onions on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt roast for about 35 minutes until they are soft, deep in color and caramelized at the edges.
In a soup pot gently sauté the shallot and/or leek in the butter until soft and translucent.
Toast the cumin seeds in a small dry skillet pan over a moderate heat, it only takes a couple of minutes until they smelt nutty and warm. Put the toasted seeds in a mortar and grind well.
Add the roasted carrots and onion to the soup pot pan, then add the ground cumin and pinch of chili flakes to the pan, stir. Add the chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes or so. Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Fry the bacon or pancetta until crisp and rippled at the edges then break into small pieces and garnish the soup. Alternatively top with toasted, salted, coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds.
Kohlrabi and Parmesan Fritters
I find these addictive. They’re perfect with some Greek (or whole milk yogurt) that you’ve doctored with a little minced garlic, salt and lemon juice and/or lots of chopped dill.
You can also double the recipe. I know the kolrabi are big again this week!
About 10 3-inch fritters
12 ounces kohlrabi (about 4 cups chopped), peeled and chopped into small-ish chunks
2 eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (or other grating cheese—sharp cheddar is fine too)
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (optional but very good—can sub other herbs)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
A pinch of red pepper flakes and several grinds of black pepper
Olive or vegetable oil for frying
Lemon wedges (optional)
Cook the kohlrabi in a pan with 1/2–inch or so of water for 8-10 minutes until tender. Drain and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile lightly beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the flour, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper and parsley. Then, add kohlrabi and, using a potato masher, mash it up a bit. You want to keep the bits recognizable, but small enough (1/4- to 1/2-inch chunks) that you can press a spoonful of the batter into a fritter in the pan. Once mashed a bit, stir the remaining ingredients together. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon or two of oil. Once the oil is hot drop about 1/3 cup batter into the pan, then flatten it slightly with your spatula. Repeat with remaining batter, leaving an inch or so between each. Once brown underneath, about 2 to 3 minutes, flip each fritter and cook on the other side until equally golden, about another 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve with yogurt or just a squeeze of lemon juice to offset the sweetness of the kohlrabi.
Roasted Sweet Peppers with Parsley and Garlic
This is the way sweet red peppers are prepared in many parts of Italy. It’s very simple and very good. This dish keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days so make extra and enjoy it for a while. And use however much parsley and garlic you like. It’s really a matter of taste.
4-5 sweet red peppers
10 sprigs of parsley, big stems discarded, chopped
1 medium clove garlic, minced
Good-tasting olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Set oven to broil.
Rinse peppers. Place them on a baking sheet and place about 4-6 inches under the broiler. Broil, turning as one side blisters and turns black. When they are blackened all around remove from oven, place in a bowl and cover with a dishtowel. Let steam and cool until you can handle them. Remove the stems and seeds. Chop into large-ish pieces (1 ½ – 2-inch square). Toss in a bowl with the remainder of the ingredients. Adjust seasoning. Let sit to let flavors marry for 15 minutes if you can. Serve with bread, cheese, grilled anything, salads, a frittata, etc. . . Great on sandwiches as well.
Lentils, Roasted Peppers and Parsley (and Sausage)
This is a wonderful way to turn some of the above, roasted peppers, into a beautiful meal.
1 ½ cups small green or brown lentils (they hold their shape better than the more common, larger brown ones)
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 carrot, scrubbed and cut into a few pieces (optional)
Salt
2 teaspoons red wine or sherry vinegar
2 sausages of your choice (I like Pastaworks’ Italian pork sausages best)
Olive oil
Roasted peppers (above)
Put the lentils, bay leaf, garlic clove, and carrot in a large saucepan. Cover generously with water and add ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook, partially covered for about 20 minutes. Check frequently at this point for doneness. You want tender lentils that are still more or less holding their shape. It make take a bit longer.
Drain the lentils when they are tender and discard everything but the carrot. Chop it up more finely and add it back in. Add the vinegar and a bit of olive oil.
Meanwhile slice the sausages into round and sauté in a bit of olive oil until cooked through and browning a bit. Mix the sausages into the lentils.
Chop up some of the roasted red peppers and stir those into the lentils as well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Kale Mint Salad with Peanut Dressing
–inspired by Food52
Serves 4-6
The mint, kale and peanuts make for a strong, vivid and almost rich salad.
1 bunch kale, well washed and any tough stems trimmed and then cut as thinly as you can (I used half mustard greens and half kale since that’s what I had and it was delicious too)
1-2 medium carrots, grated on the large holes of a box grater (optional—but pretty and a nice sweet addition)
¾ cup fresh mint, chopped
1 cup dry roasted peanuts (alternatively you can use toasted walnuts)
Peanut/Sesame Dressing:
3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoons tahini (optional—I like the combination very much though)
3 tablespoons hot water
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
¼ -1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes (or more if you want a bit more heat)
Toss the chopped kale, chopped mint and the nuts together in a large bowl.
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Alternatively to you can blend or process the dressing until smooth.
Pour two-thirds of the dressing over the kale, mint and nuts and toss well, making sure you’re really covering the kale well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
