What is your first food memory? Mine is eating raw baby kohlrabi, freshly picked from my grandpa’s garden. It was always my first choice, let the strawberries and cherries hide, nothing could possibly beat kohlrabi those days. I still love it, eating it straight as it is or grating into salads. I used to enjoy it raw only, but recently I have discovered how delicious it can be sautéed with parsley and served with browned butter. I thought that why not to try some new way to use this a bit unusual veggie and decided to make a thick, hearty soup out of it. I thought about either combining it with some Indian flavors or focusing on herbal scents. I chose the second option, particularly that I’ve just got from my friend a pack of winter savory and thought that it will fit pretty well with sweet, slightly cabbagy taste of kohlrabi.
I was pretty happy with the outcome. The herbal mix choice hit the spot as it nicely complemented kohlrabi taste. Still, I found the kohlrabi sweetness a tiny bit overwhelming and when making this soup next time I’ll decrease its amount in favor of potatoes or beans.
INGREDIENTS
800g kohlrabi, cubed
2 cloves of garlic sliced
1l of vegetable stock
bunch of parsley, shredded
bunch of dill, shredded
2 tsp winter savory
pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper
walnut oil
1. Sauté kohlrabi and garlic for several minutes. Add the stock, bring to boil, decrease the heat and cook for 10 min.
2. Add the herbs and spices and cook on a small heat till kohlrabi is very soft. Blend the soup. Garnish with walnut oil and parsley.
No onion please 
I don’t think I’ve ever had kohlrabi, or at least I don’t remember it. Must try!
As for first food memories, definately all the stuff from our garden comes to mind – currants, strawberries, sweetpeas, radishes. New boiled potatoes with butter, onion and chives.
Then if I want to be completely honest there is “makaroonivelli”, thick and milky macaroni soup, absolutely disgusting but still tastes good when mum makes it every now and then. Must be a Finnish thing. 🙂
I guess kohlrabi is quite uncommon vegetable. It’s been only recently that it starts to be available in Finland. It has pretty specific taste so I guess it’s not up to everyone’s liking but it’s worth trying 🙂 I’ll hope you’ll enjoy it too 🙂
Oh, I think we have as well makaroonivelli in Poland – I hated it till my grandma told me it’s white tomato soup. Tomato soups I loved so since then the “white tomato soup” was ok 😀 Amazing what tricks adults must come up with to make kids eat 😀
oh. what a great looking soup. the color is fantastic.
wow… great photgrahy!
My grandpa used to grow kohlrabi too and I loved it as a kid. He would dig it up from the ground, peel it, cut into pieces and feed it to us. Good times. Just realized that I haven’t had it in years, seriously like in two decades or so.
I guess that’s like Polish grandpas thing – to grow Kohlrabi I mean 😀
Hi! I visited Finland a few years back and fell in love with those little pastries sitting on the plate next to the Kohlrabi Soup. I’ve tried to find recipes (and the name) for them ever since. Do you know where i could find a good recipe?
Thanks!
Sarah
Hi 🙂
The pastries you see are called Karelian pies (Karjalanpiirakka in Finnish). You can read about their history in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_pasties Those that you see on the picture are store-bought but I have been doing some myself as well. They are a bit tedious to make. The recipe goes like this:
First you have to make rice porridge. The amount is pretty big and it has to cool down before you use it further so I make it a day in advance:
200ml water
200ml rice for porridge
1l milk (fully fat – round 3%)
1,5 tsp salt
1. Boil the water
2. Add the rice, boil for several minutes until nearly all the water is absorbed by the rice
3. Add milk and cook on the low heat for around 40 min. You have to mix it pretty often cause it tends to burn
4. Add the salt, let it cool down
Then you have to make the dough. There are 2 important points to remember when making the dough. First of all you have to keep it covered with the linen all the time cause it tends to dry out fast. Second when rolling the dough you must do it really thin, one can use pasta machine for that. I have some step by step pictures how to make it, so I’ll send them on your mail today evening or tomorrow.
Dough:
200ml water
2 tsp salt
100 ml all purpose flour
450 ml rye flour
melted butter
1. Knead the dough (you may need to add still some flour), roll it shaped like thin rod, cut into 25-30 pieces and cover them with linen.
2. Each of the pieces has to be rolled flat, they tend to be sticky so have some flour to spread on the table. They should be oval in shape
3. Add the rice in the middle. Fold in the edges (its easiest if you start folding from the middle)
4. Bake in 280-300C for 10-15 min. After 5 min of baking leave the doors from oven ajar for several seconds so that the moisture can escape.
5. Just after baking brush them with melted butter and pack into a sandwich paper (this way they absorb the butter and stay moist)
You may freeze them
Some people like when the dough is made with higher proportion of white flour. Now when you know how they are called I guess you won’t have any more problems with finding the recipes 🙂
Good luck
Hi, what is the bread/pastry next to the soup on the plate? Looks great! (As well as the soup!)
Just wondering about the little pastries by the side – what are they called???
@ Jackie
@ orbiter
They are called Karjalanpiirakka. If you scroll up, in my answer to Sarah you may read more about them 🙂
I love kohlrabi, though I first ate it as an adult. My first memory is also of eating a vegetable funnily enough—a beautiful, ripe, red tomato. My mother suggested I sprinkle a bit of salt on top and my father (ever anti-salt) countered that I should enjoy it without. Tomatoes are still my favorite food.
Thanks for the recipes. Your blog is gorgeous and I’m really impressed with the photography.
We’d love to have you submit some recipes and ideas to our web site.
I also have a blog at http://www.noonionsplease.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
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