Kohlrabi with Poppyseed and Dill

I’m always game for trying new ways to cook kohlrabi (knol-khol), which I absolutely adore. And then I thought…marry it with dill! A match made in heaven! As you probably gathered, dill is another one of my favorites. Do try it and let me know what you think.

You need:

5-6 small kohlrabi; 1 small red onion; 1 tbsp poppyseed (khus-khus); 1/4 cup finely chopped dill; 1 small tomato (red).

How to:

1. Finely chop the onion and tomato.
2. Dice the kohlrabi.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadahi or wok.
4. Add the onions. Cook until they are pink and translucent, on medium heat.
5. Add the poppyseed and stir well.
6. Add the kohlrabi and stir. Then add 1/4 cup water, stir and cover.
7. Cook until the kohlrabi is cooked, but not soft (about 10 minutes or less). The easiest way to figure this out is to taste it when it is raw. If it still tastes raw, then it is 🙂
8. Turn off the heat. Add salt and stir well.
9. Add the tomatoes and stir.
10. Add the dill and stir again.

Kohlrabi Greens (Knol-khol saag)

We had quite  abit of kohlrabi (knol-khol), thanks to the CSA. I left some in the fridge from a couple weeks’ worth of veggies, and got two this week, and my friend, who doesn’t like kohlrabi, gave me two that she got in her CSA. We swopped her a Chinese cabbage, because I was getting a bit tired of the greens. Anyway, the kohlrabi we got this week had some lovely leaves on them. A quick call to my athai (aunt, FZ) verified that they were edible. So I made a variation of kohlrabi and collard greens – I used the greens from the kohlrabi instead of the collard.

I find the veins and stalks tough, so I only used the green part of the leaves – I veined them and chopped them up.

Ingredients: Kohlrabi (knol-khol) peeled and diced; 1 medium onion, finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tsp Kitchen King or garam masala, 1 tsp each cumin seeds (jeera), cayenne pepper (lal mirch), turmeric (haldi); and salt to taste.

How to:

1. Heat some oil in a pan or wok (kadhai).
2. Add all the spices. Stir well and turn the heat down to medium/simmer.
3. Add the onion and garlic. Stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the kohlrabi and the greens. Stir and add 1 cup water. Add salt, stir again, and cover.
5. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until kohlrabi can be cut with a spoon. Stir occasionally.

We are eating this tonight with brown rice and dal.

Glorious Vegetable Calzone

 

Preparation time: 1 hr 20m for the dough, 20m for the vegetables.

Cooking time: 30m for the vegetable filling, 12-15 m for baking

This was astonishingly tasty. I’m very pleased with myself. It’s not something you can whip up at the end of a long day, but you could make some up ahead and freeze them for just such a day…

We made the dough in a bread machine, but you could knead it by hand and let it rise. You would probably want to knead it for about ten minutes or so, cover it and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until it has more than doubled in size. This will make four calzones, each of which is a good-sized meal for one hungry person.

You will have some vegetable filling left over, but you could always freeze it and make calzones some other day 🙂

THE DOUGH:

You need: 3 cups all-purpose flour+2 tsp wheat gluten (or 3 cups bread flour); 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 1 cup+2 tbsp water; 2 tbsp oil; 2.5 tsp active dry yeast (we used “bread machine yeast”)

How to: If you are using a bread machine, add all the wet ingredients first, and then the dry ones, with yeast being the last thing you add. Follow instructions on your bread machine.

If you are doing this by hand, knead for 10-12 minutes, cover, and let rise as discussed above.

THE FILLING:

You need: 1/2 cup carrots; 1 kohlrabi; 1 medium-sized bell pepper; 1 small onion; 1 small yellow squash; 1 cup diced tomatoes; 1/2 cup peas (frozen is good); 2 tbsp slivered almonds; and to taste: rosemary, thyme, salt, red chili powder, paprika; grated Parmesan, grated mozzarella.
How to: Dice the vegetables into about 1/4″ cubes. The smaller the pieces, the better they will work as filling.

Heat oil, add the vegetables in the following order. Stir after adding each one, and give it a couple of minutes before adding the next: onions, carrots, kohlrabi, squash, peppers, almonds. Stir well and cover. Let it cook about 5-6 minutes. If it starts to stick to the bottom, add the tomatoes. Stir well. Do not add water. If it is still sticking, add just a little bit of water- about 1/4 cup. Add the herbs and salt and let it cook (carrots and kohlrabi should be soft, but not mushy).

THE CALZONE:

Divide the dough into two and follow these instructions for each half. Preheat the oven to 400F.

1. Roll out the dough and divide into two.

2. Put a little filling into one side of each half. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan and grated mozzarella over the filling.

3. Wet the tip of your finger and run it along the edge of the rolled-out dough, then fold the top half over and seal it by pressing it down. With a knife, cut three vents in the top. Brush a little oil over the top of each calzone.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 400F or until brown. The dough should not become hard.

5. Cut in half, let it cool, and eat 🙂

Kohl rabi and Collard greens (knol-khol saag)

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes Cooking time: 40-45 minutes

We’re running low on the produce, and I had some wilting greens and rapidly softening kohlrabi in the fridge that had to be cooked. Plus we were getting a bit tired of the usual heavy spices, and I thought it was time to mix things up a bit. So this isn’t spiced with the usual red chili powder-cumin-curry leaves stuff – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t spicy!!! It turned out really good. For people in India, I don’t know if this is particularly helpful, but collard greens are called haak in Kashmir, I believe. I haven’t been able to figure out if they have a distinct Hindi name.

If you want the “Indian” taste, go for masala greens.

You need: 1 bunch collard greens (or kale, or chard, but perhaps not a wilty green like spinach); 3-4 small kohlrabi; 1/4 cup finely chopped onion; 1 cup finely chopped tomato; garlic, salt, pepper, and mustard powder to taste. I used about 1/2 tsp mustard powder and 2-3 tbsp pepper, but those levels are entirely up to you.

How to: wash and drain the collard greens and then chop them into thin slices about 2″ long. Peel and dice the kohlrabi and set to boil in salted water. When they are almost done (fairly soft and don’t taste raw), heat some oil and add the onion and sautée. It can burn pretty quick, so keep an eye on it. Add the tomatoes and garlic and let it cook for a few minutes.

Check the kohlrabi and if it’s done, turn off the heat and drain the vegetables.

Turn the heat to medium and keep stirring. Add the greens. Stir and cover. Occasionally open the pan and stir the veggies. Give it 5-7 minutes, until the greens are cooked (they will reduce). Add the kohlrabi, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir well, but gently. Cover and let it cook for a few more minutes.

We ate it over brown rice, but bread or chappatis would do as well. If you like, you could add a lot of water and eat it as soup. Or stew, whichever.