Kohlrabi Soup
Based on the book How Not to Die Alone
by Richard Roper
Described as smart, darkly funny and life-affirming, this debut novel by Richard Roper is about taking chances – even when we feel we have the most to lose. Towards the end of the book, there is a dinner party, which involves a lot of stressful planning. Here is the excerpt that inspired me to find and discover the main ingredient in this soup…
“Just then, he received a text from Jim with the menu for that evening (the food sounded reassuringly posh—what , indeed, was kohlrabi?) …”
If you have never heard of kohlrabi, don’t feel embarrassed. Before I read this book I had never heard of it either. Turns out, kohlrabi is a German Turnip, although it is more closely related to cabbage than it is to a root vegetable. Like cabbage it can be green or purple or pale. It has a mild flavor, meaty texture and is packed full of vitamins C and B6 as well as fiber and potassium. I tracked it down at my local Whole Foods Market and mixed it with homemade stock, fresh lemongrass and ginger, for a soup that felt life-affirming and tasted sufficiently posh.
Makes: about 4 cups
Contains: Milk
Diet Type: Gluten Free
Challenge Level: Piece of Cake
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion
- 2 kohlrabi (substitute turnips if you can’t find kohlrabi)
- 2 medium carrots
- 3 to 4 cups chicken or bone broth
- 12 inches (1 stalk) lemongrass
- Thumb of fresh ginger
- 5 ounces each of ricotta and sour cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Handful of fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Dice up the onion, throw it in a pot with 1 tablespoon of butter. Let it simmer while you’re taking care of the other veggies, about 10 minutes
- Peel the carrots and kohlrabi. Dice and throw them into the pot with the rest of the butter.
- Finely slice the lemongrass and grate the ginger. Add to the mix.
- Pour in the broth and cook on a medium heat for about 25 mins. If you accidentally forget about the soup, add some extra water or more broth.
- Add ricotta and sour cream and stir until it melts into the soup. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Taste, season with salt and pepper as desired and serve hot with a sprinkle of parsley. .
Recipe Mix Up: If you don’t like chunks in your soup (or your kids don’t), blend the kohlrabi soup until smooth and velvety in texture. It’s best to blend in batches.
Kids Can
- Wash the vegetables
- Peel the carrot
- Scrape the skin off ginger with the side of a spoon
- Spoon ricotta and sour cream into the pot
Watch Out For
- Sharp Knives
- Hot stove and soup!