Growing up, kohlrabi was always added to Sunday’s chicken soup and I would happily consume it and the cooked carrots along with (what we called) “soup meat” - the chicken from the soup pot. I can’t recall when I first encountered kohlrabi soup - it may have been at my grandmother’s table or while visiting relatives in Hungary.

This root vegetable is popular with Hungarians who also make a creamed kohlrabi dish that can be served as a side or as a base for fried eggs. I’m embarrassed to say that it was not until recently that I realized that fresh, raw kohlrabi is the most amazing veggie snack!

Kohlrabi, like many root vegetables, seems to be available all through the winter, and will also appear at late summer markets. The internet says they are used in other cuisines but I have only experienced them as part of Hungarian cuisine (which of course overlaps with East European cuisines).

They can grow quite large, but are best when smaller mainly because they are more tender. A larger/older kohlrabi will be fibrous in spots. That can still be used to flavour a soup, but the fibrous texture does not make for the best eating experience even when cooked. The outer skins may be green or purple.

1 medium yellow onion
kohlrabi - 1 medium-size or 4-5 small, aim for (500-600g)
2 parsley roots (or parsnips - which are not the same - see Notes)
1-2 carrots

2 TB lard

2 tsp salt (or less if using salted broth)
1 tsp pepper

water

Do a rustic chop on the onions. Peel all the vegetables and cut them into bite-sized cubes.

The “hardest” part of this recipe may be cleaning the kohlrabi. Remove the leaves and stalks. Slice off the top and bottom and use a knife to peel off the skin which can seem tough in sections. If using a larger kohlrabi, with experience you may be able to tell the difference between the tender part and the more fibrous outer layer. Aim to use only the tender parts - and of course in smaller kohlrabi, it is pretty much all tender once peeled. Cut the kohlrabi into 1/2” slices and then cubes.

Heat the lard in a Dutch oven and cook the onions briefly, then add the remaining veggies, salt and pepper. Stir and cook until the veggies are slighlty tender. Keep adding small amounts of water to keep them from sticking to the pan.

6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

3 TB chopped parsley

Pour the stock into the pot, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes until the veggies are tender.

Meanwhile prep the soup dumplings mixture. Bring the soup to a medium boil and drop in bits of dough to make the dumplings. They will rise to the top of the soup quickly. Turn off the heat. Add parsley. Adjust the seasoning and enjoy!

Notes and Tips...

• Parsley Root vs Parsnips - You can find websites that detail the differences in how these look AND taste - parsnips being sweeter. Pointing out the difference seems somewhat futile since it can be hard to buy parsley roots. I use often use parsnips in Hungarian recipes that call for parsley roots. Parsnips can be found right next to carrots - both packaged in the same way with tops off. Parsley roots are usually sold with the tops on (and if you’re lucky a bunch of parsley!) and the photo shows how the top of the root that bridges to the leaves is quite distinct - bulging up, not concave like parsnips and carrots.

• Cooking Fat - lard is the classic start to many Hungarian recipes and is now well accepted as a healthy ingredient; if you have none or have a preference you can use oil or butter

• For KB Recipe Attribution Practices please visit “Whose Recipe Is It?”