new for us friday: kohl what? kohlrabi. seriously.

Our first-ever experience with our local CSA has been so exciting for us this summer. It's really provided our family with a ton of new-for-us foods and fun experiences.

This week's New For Us Friday involves one of those new foods--kohlrabi.

I never even knew that kohlrabi existed, to be honest, so when this strange-lookin' guy showed up in our box one week, we all got hit with the giggles.

Owen: It looks like it's got hair.

Maddy: Is that really a food, Mommy? Are we going to eat that thing?

Cora: What is that, really?

Me: I think this is the kohlrabi, but I'm not really sure, And yes, we'll eat it, but we better do some research to figure out how.

And so began our internet search for a quick and easy recipe for this completely strange kohlrabi.

• Easy As Can Be Kohlrabi: I say it's 'easy as can be' because that's what the recipe I found was. So easy. And it turned out to be sooo delicious. Like our Kid-Friendly Beet recipe, I wanted a recipe that wouldn't totally mask the flavor of this new veggie.
  

So the Easy As Can Be Kohlrabi Recipe is basically one for Roasted Kohlrabi that I found on my favorite recipe site. Easy As Can Be Kohlrabi can be downloaded as a pdf if you think you may stumble across some of this stuff yourself. (I highly recommend stumbling across it soon.)

Our strange, little kohlrabi, all ready for a garlic and olive oil bath.

After seeing the kohlrabi and hitting me with tons of questions about it, when I finally figured out our game plan, I let Maddy, Owen, and Cora know it was time to cook. They joined me at the counter as I prepared it--and really, as far as our usual recipes go, this one wasn't too exciting.

They each held it, watched as I peeled it, sliced it, helped dunked it in the mixture of garlic and olive oil, and put it on the baking sheet. Then they ran out back to enjoy the sunshine as I finished dinner.

When the kohlrabi seemed brown enough, I added the cheese, and threw it back in the oven for a bit. Some say that kohlrabi is a combination of a potato and an artichoke heart; I was completely perplexed about how that pairing would taste but found that it's really true.

Sure, almost any veggie dipped in a little olive oil and garlic with cheese on top tasted pretty decent, but this one was better than decent. It was, in my opinion--and Maddy, Owen, and Cora's--awesome. My husband's not a big veggie guy (and not at all a potato guy), so he could take it or leave it, but the kids really seemed to like it.

It really was an unusual combo of potatoes and artichoke hearts. So interesting. So hoping to find this in our CSA boxes again soon. . .

Interested in finding more information on kohlrabi and a few new recipes? I bet! This is what I found in my search and a few of the things I'd like to try with it:

• Kohlrabi tastes a bit like broccoli stalks, its leaves can be cooked like collards (low and slow!), and it's part of the turnip family! Read more on A Veggie Venture.

• Rain and cool weather make kolhrabi leaves 'big and happy.' Kohlrabi was a first for this family, too, and this recipe calls for raw kohlrabi and apples in Mohini's Sweet Kohlrabi Salad!

• I love kohlrabi, and I love Swiss chard, so when my boy Gordon Ramsay paired them for this Swiss Chard & Kohlrabi with Lemon Sauce dish, I was intrigued. Can't wait to try it!

• Kohlrabi with White Sauce? Seems a bit strange, but again, I'd love to try it. . .
  

And there you have it--our latest NFUF CSA-Style, thanks to kohlrabi. Any other kohlrabi ideas, success stories, or suggestions, let me have 'em!

For that matter, hit me with any and all New For Us Friday deas--we're always up for trying new things over here!