Kohlrabi Gratin with Feta & Dill

What the heck is kohlrabi, you ask? Well, I didn’t know, either, ’til I first received it in my CSA share a few years ago. When I took the alien orbs out of the box, I had to go back to the email our farmers send us each week to see what the heck it was! That, for me, is the fun of the CSA. It’s like Christmas every week with all the fresh, organic veggies, and every season there is at least one new-to-me veggie in the mix.

Kohlrabi’s good for you, my friends. It’s in the brassica family – the same one as broccoli, cabbage, kale and other super-nutritious veg. Loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and even, yes, protein, you should be lovin’ up on these, my friends. Any wellness warrior will tell you – calorie for calorie, brassicas are the bomb for your body. What does it taste like? I’d say kohlrabi’s sorta like broccoli stalks – mild, not as brash as cabbage at all. Certainly not as bold as Brussels sprouts or other brassicas. Could be a good entree into this family for the faint-of-heart.

This recipe’s a bit time-consuming – I’ll lay it out there. There is some grating and cooking involved prior to the baking. It’s true. But I argue it’s worth it – you spend about a half-hour on the prep to get it in the oven, but then you can walk away, clean your kitchen, herd your children – whatever – ’til it’s done. And then you’re faced with a warm and wonderfully-different veggie-based dish that’ll get you and yours outa your dinner-time doldrums. Even the “Not So Healthy Hubby” (as he refers to himself) liked this!

Kohlrabi Gratin with Feta & Dill (adapted from The New York Times)

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Peel the kohlrabi, making sure to remove the fibrous layer right under the skin, and grate using a food processor fitted with the grater attachment.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, stir together, and stir in the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and stir in the kohlrabi. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is very tender and beginning to color, about 10 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid in the pan from the kohlrabi, turn up the heat and cook, stirring, until it boils off. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, stir in the dill, and set aside.

Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and beat in the crumbled feta. Stir in the kohlrabi mixture and combine well. Fill the pie plate with the kohlrabi mixture.

Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top of the gratin is golden brown. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Yields 6 to 8 side-dish servings, or 4 main-course servings. This would be good with a starch on the side – I ate this straight up, but D. had some of L’s tortellini. Also great would be rice pilaf . . . with butter . . . but I digress!

© 2012 – 2013, Sarah. All rights reserved.

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