Eating Local: Kohlrabi, Part 1

A few weeks ago we showed how to make a quick and delicious zucchini and basil pasta made with local ingredients procured at the farmer's market, and it had us wanting to do more with locally grown ingredients.

While browsing the vendors, we discovered almost all of them carried a vegetable we'd never even heard of before but that apparently grows well in Montana: kohlrabi.

Interest thoroughly piqued, we went on a quest to discover how to cook and eat these odd little guys. If you've never had kohlrabi, it's a small bulb covered by a hard peel and topped with thick leafy greens. Texture-wise the interior of the bulb is quite a lot like a radish, but the flavor is less biting.

Interestingly, kohlrabi can be eaten either raw or cooked, and you can equally use either the leaves or the bulbs - and in this dish below, we used both at the same time!

Here's the kohlrabi and a massive zucchini we picked up last weekend at the farmer's market:

Because the zucchini was so huge, we needed a way to use a lot of it, so we decided to do fritters. Here Megan has used a cheese grater to grate up the zucchini, half a white onion, and a small potato.

The shreds get all mixed together and lightly salted to draw out the moisture, as you don't want any excess liquid when these fritters hit the frying pan.

To really ensure all the liquid is gone, we set the shreds in a colander and let them sit for about half an hour.

After thoroughly drying, we add in flour and baking powder and mix it all up, then form into several large patties.

Now the fritters get tossed into a large skillet with some hot oil to get frying.

Flip 'em over after they finish browning on each side!

"So that's cool" you're probably thinking, "but where the heck is the kohlrabi?" We're getting there! For another side, I've peeled and diced some kohlrabi (and onion) and pulled off the leaves, which will get used later.

First we're going to start cooking the kohlrabi and onion in few tablespoons of butter and let them soften.

While that's happening, we'll roughly chop the kohlrabi leaves so they can join in on the action.

A few minutes later they go in the skillet to cook. These thick, fibrous leaves won't shrink up nearly as much as spinach, so what you chop will be very close to what you get at the end of cooking.

Next we throw in a dash of heavy cream and a few seasonings, including salt and surprisingly nutmeg, which adds a nice little change in the flavor. A few minutes of reducing down and you've got a creamy delicious side that uses both the bulb and the leaves of the kohlrabi.

Your main dish can really be anything - we decided to go for broke on the heavy, savory flavors and stuff chicken drumsticks with cheese and then wrap them in bacon. Some Italian seasonings on top seals the deal as they hit the 400 degree oven.

After about 40 minutes you get sizzling, cheesy wonder wrapped in hot crispy bacon.

Here it all is together: some delicious creamy kohlrabi (with just enough crunch to be satisfying), a zucchini fritter, and some bacon-wrapped chicken drumsticks.

Check back soon, as we'll be taking another look at how to use kohlrabi and locally grown zucchini in very different ways next!

Mango Puree

In the mood for a cold refreshing dessert while the heat is still on? Here's a little something we put together for an ice cream social the other week when mangos were on sale at Smith's for 50 cents a piece.

This one is mostly fresh fruit with just a bit of dairy, so it's both tasty and more on the healthy side. For some amazing mango puree, you'll need:

• 5 – 6 mangos, ripe
• 1 lime
• 2 egg whites
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 – 7 tbsp. heavy whipping cream (sorry, half and half won't cut it here)

To start this off, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the mangos. In the picture below, you can clearly see the differing levels of ripeness - the ones at the top are the most dark in color and are much softer, while the ones at the bottom are lighter and more firm.

We're going to set aside two of the mangos to dice and use as a topping, so you'll probably want to go with the firmer ones there. If your mangos aren't ripe at all though, they won't be a pleasant texture to eat whole, so in that case you'll want to puree the hardest mangos.

We simply roughly chop 4 or 5 of the mangos and run them through a food processor for a few seconds - there's nothing added at this point, and this puree alone is already tasty and could go in any number of dishes or used as a side or topping.

We're going to add in just a bit of acid and a countering flavor by squeezing in some fresh lime juice - if you want less acidity and more mango, omit entirely or use less lime.

Take your remaining 1 -2 mangos that weren't pureed and dice them into large squares. You can squeeze lime over those as well if you want, then set those aside in the fridge as you won't need them till later.

Now it's time to get the dairy elements going in a separate bowl!

To start, we're whipping just the egg whites and sugar until stiff, then add in around six tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and continue to beat until peaks form.

Fold the cream mixture into the mango puree and then set it in the refrigerator. If you wait 3 - 4 hours you have something like a sorbet that's very tasty on its own or as a desert topping, but if you wait overnight it will set up into a more solid form like a mousse. Throw some of the diced mango in a bowl and top with the puree to serve.

While good on its own, mix in some muesli or granola for a delicious and healthy breakfast the next morning.

Eating Local: Zucchini and Basil Pasta

Living in a colder climate with a few extra months of winter than the southern parts of the nation, there isn't a big window for a wide range of fresh, locally grown produce in Montana, so you've got to strike the farmer's market while it's available in just a few short months.

From now through the end of the summer, we'll be planning a Saturday meal around whatever interesting local vegetables and meat we can find while walking down to the farmer's market.

This last weekend we came away with the beautiful basil and zucchini pictured below. Not only are they leagues ahead of their store counterparts in terms of flavor, color, and aroma - they are also a better deal. Those zucchini were 4 for $1, and the bunch of basil - about 3 times the amount you'd get in a package at Walmart or Albertsons - was $2.

For our first local-based meal, we're going with a simple one-pan pasta (although because we're silly, we're going to use two pots instead). If you want to give it a shot, you'll need:

• Two small zucchinis
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 1 handful cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 handful button mushrooms + butter for sauteing
• 4 – 5 cloves garlic
• 1 white onion
• 1 box fettuccine or linguine (long noodles work great, but if you prefer shaped pasta, go for it!)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Parmesan (preferably block-style for shaving, but pre-grated will do in a pinch)
• Salt and pepper to taste

We already had onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes on hand, or we would have bought some of those at the market as well!

Nearly everything (except the mushrooms) are all going into one single pot, so to get started we slice and dice all the vegetables.

First we're going to be sauteing the mushrooms separately so they can have a buttery flavor rather than getting mushy boiling in water with all the other ingredients.

Now everything else - the pasta, the oil, the vegetables and about 4 to 4/12 cups water - all go into the pot together at once to cook at the same time. This cuts down on the number of dishes you use and makes pasta meals much simpler, without having to blend and heat a sauce separately.

Everything in one pan gives a great fresh flavor as all the ingredients mingle together.Because of the difference in cooking times and methods, we won't be using our normal homemade pasta, but rather going with standard store bought dried pasta.

This should cook over a high heat so it boils during cooking, allowing the pasta to get al dente and the vegetables to properly heat through.

Be sure to stir with tongs frequently as the water reduces down so everything cooks evenly - you don't want to end up with a few crunchy strands of pasta and some undercooked zucchini. Give it a taste at this point, and you'll probably want to add in some salt. If the flavor isn't quite where you want it, you can also add in some chicken or vegetable stock and let it further reduce.

Once the water has reduced down, just set it aside for about two to three minutes for the remaining liquid to thicken up.

To assemble, spoon over some of the sauteed mushrooms and then add some more diced fresh basil on top as garnish, along with some shaved slices of parmesan and cracked black pepper.

Thanks for checking in on our first look at local-based meals, and be sure to check back in as next week we'll be trying out something very different: kohlrabi!