Kohlrabi Rémoulade

My challenge to myself every week at the Farmers' Market is to buy a vegetable that I've either never tried or have never used before. These gorgeous kohlrabies caught my eye a few weeks ago and I just had to have them. Now, this was not my first time eating kohlrabi, but I hadn't had them since I was in about the 12th grade, so it was still new enough. While kohlrabi translates to "cabbage turnip" and is related to the cabbage, it actually tastes more like broccoli. There are different varieties ranging from green to purple.I did a search on-line and found many lovely recipes, but as it is getting hot in Florida, I wanted to come up with something cooling, so made Kohlrabi Rémoulade. Not only was it reminiscent to my trip to France a few months back, it also similar to the Celerica Rémoulade I've been making like crazy since they've been in season.

This recipe easy to make, had such a lovely flavor and was very refreshing. I hope you enjoy...

* 2 medium Kohlrabies
* 6 oz mayonnaise - Dukes or freshly made
* 6 oz Greek Yogurt
* 2 tsp Dijon mustard
* 1 good pinch of Herbes de Provence
* celery salt

~ Combine the mayonnaise, Greek Yogurt, mustard, herbes de Provence, and celery salt (to taste).

~ Peel the kohlrabi. I find it useful to cut into wedges before cleaning. You can use a potato peeler, but as there is a fibrous layer beneath the purple skin that needs to be removed, I used a knife and was able to cut them both off in one go.

~ Next - grate the kohlrabi. A large standing cheese grater works nicely. The bits that were too small to grate didn't go to waste as I just cut them into fine strips, which added a nice texture to the shredded kohlrabi.
~ There is a ton of water in the kohlrabi, so as I was shredding I would squeeze out the water and had a towel in the bowl to absorb the access liquid. You could also line a colander with a towel and allow the water to drain. It is very important to drain as much of the water as possible so that your dish is not too soggy. It seemed like such a waste of nutrients, so I used the kohlrabi water on my herb through.

~ Once completed, mix the kohlrabi and sauce in a bowl. If you find it a little too dry (depending on the size of your kohlrabi) - mix in another tablespoon or so of mayonnaise. Refrigerate over night - it will taste so much better the next day once the flavors have time to meld and penetrate the kohlrabi.
We were both completely impressed with the outcome: it was such a cool, refreshing, easy to make dish that will definitely become a staple in our Florida home. This was James' first exposure to kohlrabi, and he was really impressed.

From a nutritional standpoint, the kohlrabi is high in fiber, magnesium, potassium, thiamin, vitamin B6, and is very high in vitamin C. It is also naturally low in fat, sodium, cholesterol, and calories.

Budget Gourmet: Our Inauguration Dinner

We wanted to have a nice dinner to celebrate the Inauguration of our new president. We were looking for a menu that would be worthy of serving to the new president, but keeping to the penny pinching budget of the current economy, and considering I worked late, we wanted to keep it fast. The weekend before I had purchased a celeriac from my local Farmer's Market and the night before made Celeri Remoulade. As I had just tried this for the first time in France, I was very keen on recreating the recipe. When in season, this makes a very economical, but posh side dish.

After work we made a quick trip to Fresh Market, which is next to my office. We picked up a rotisserie chicken - which came with a complimentary loaf of Rosemary/Sea Salt bread. The chicken and bread were very tasty and also very economical as we had it the following night, and then made soup with the left over chicken on Thursday, which went well the the rest of the bread.

Once we got home, I also made a simple green salad, chopped a Cherokee Purple Tomato, chilled a bottle of Australian fizz and were ready to watch a ball fit for a new President and First Lady.
Now, I'm sure it was nowhere near as posh as what the Obamas ate that night, but it is something that I could have confidently served them as a makeshift meal.

Goat Cheese Tart, Carottes Râpées, & Celeri Remoulade (10/06)

We didn't want a huge dinner that night, so before we left for Avignon, stopped at the local boulangerie where I scored myself one of these luscious Goat Cheese Tarts. It was heaven in a pastry crust. The tart consisted of red and yellow tomatoes, fresh basil, and that creamy chunk of my favorite cheese. After seeing it, I nearly didn't make it to Avignon!
To keep it light, we served it with several salads: lettuce, Alison's tomato salad, and two French classics: Carottes Râpées (shredded carrots dressed in a light vinaigrette) and Celeri Remoulade (shredded celery root in a mayonnaise sauce). Now, I adore celeriac and have been to France several times, but this was a first for me. It was one of my favorite foodie discoveries (along with Perrier Menthe and Macarons) and I will definitely be adding it to my staple recipe collection, once I have mastered it. In the upcoming weeks, I'm going to give it my all to see if I can recreate the taste, and once I do - will be sharing it with you.

This was all washed down with a lovely bottle of chilled Pouilly-Fumé. Pouilly Fumé is a fantastic budget friendly alternative to the pricier Sancerre.