Recipe: Chef Michael Anthony Does Kohlrabi Two Ways

This year’s recipient of the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef, executive chef/partner of Gramercy Tavern and the executive chef and director of Untitled at The Whitney, Michael Anthony has just published his second book.

The appropriately titled,V is for Vegetables, is an all-purpose guide with tips on how to properly select and prepare seasonal produce, with recipes for composed salads, fresh herb sauces, hearty gratins, vibrant vegetable stews and more.

One of his favorite vegetables is the under-appreciated kohlrabi, which is just hitting the markets now. You’ll want to look for ones that are no bigger than baseballs, which will be less fibrous. Kohlrabi have tender hearts and are really just soft stems “whose spiky offshoots are merely the ribs of leaves, easily removed with a pairing knife.”

Chef Michael shares two kohlrabi recipes with us: a Crunchy Salad of Kohlrabi and Toasted Walnuts and Roasted, Quartered Kohlrabi. Peel them first to reveal their snowy, white interiors, which have no bitterness. Sweet and crunchy when sliced and eaten raw, they brown nicely when roasted.

Crunchy Salad of Kohlrabi & Toasted Walnuts

V is for Vegetables recipes courtesy Little, Brown & Company. Copyright 2015 by Michael Anthony & Dorothy Kalins Ink, LLC

Yield: Serves 4

I like the way this salad shows off kohlrabi’s brightness of flavor and crunch. Add a handful of chopped parsley, if you like. Let it sit for a while to marinate in the walnut vinaigrette before serving.

Ingredients
1 or 2 kohlrabi, peeled and sliced paper-thin
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup walnut oil
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
½ cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

For the Vinaigrette: Whisk together the lemon juice, walnut oil and olive oil in a small bowl, then add a generous amount of salt and pepper.

To Prepare the Salad: Combine the sliced kohlrabi and walnuts in a medium bowl. Gently toss with enough of the vinaigrette so that the salad is quite moist, separating the kohlrabi slices.

Roasted Quartered Kohlrabi

V is for Vegetables recipes courtesy Little, Brown & Company. Copyright 2015 by Michael Anthony & Dorothy Kalins Ink, LLC

Roasting kohlrabi is just as simple as roasting a potato. I like to toss the browned chunks right in the pan with a big pinch of pimentón (smoked paprika), and serve it up immediately.
Yield: serves 4

Ingredients
2 or 3 kohlrabi, peeled and quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Pimentón

To Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the kohlrabi, salt and pepper, and cook until the pieces are well-browned, about 3 minutes. (Note: Kohlrabi browns quickly, even faster than a potato.)

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the kohlrabi chunks are just tender, about 12 minutes.

Turn into a bowl and sprinkle with pimentón.