Healthy Foods

[ligonier 0]

"Kiwis or Chinese gooseberries, have fuzzy brown skins and sweet, juicy, bright green flesh with a flavor reminiscent of melon and berries. Ripe fruits yield gently to fingertip pressure. Firm fruits can be ripened in the refrigerator. Kiwifruits should be peeled before use; the seeds are edible.

 

 

 

Kohlrabi is a vegetable that recalls its cabbage relatives in flavor and texture, but not appearance. The stem tastes of both cabbage and turnip, and has a broccolilike texture when cooked. The leaves are delicate, like spinach, but are often trimmed away. Avoid kohlrabi bulbs that are larger than 3 inches (7.5 cm) or have cracks. Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 1 week."

 

The above were taken from Cooking **************** com's Glossary of ingredients.

 

 

This isn't really a recipe or cooking issue, so I thought I'd post it here instead. I just read an article that Kiwi fruit contains the most concentration of, and most variety of nutrients of, any fruit. A real powerhouse for vitamin and mineral intake, you don't need to eat more than one for the nutritional benefit either.

As far as the kohlrabi, has anybody ever eaten this ? How have you cooked it ? It sounds interesting, but not having ever tried it I would not want to buy it and prepare it in a way that would taste bad - then think bad of it - when it would be just a preparation issue and not that it's just lousy tasting stuff.

Edited October 25, 2006 by ligonier

[coffee 0]

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As far as the kohlrabi, has anybody ever eaten this ? How have you cooked it ? It sounds interesting, but not having ever tried it I would not want to buy it and prepare it in a way that would taste bad - then think bad of it - when it would be just a preparation issue and not that it's just lousy tasting stuff.

 

Kohlrabi stinks like strong cauliflower when cooking. The only way that I have ever had it cooked was boiled or steamed, and we ate it topped with butter, much like I prefer to eat steamed green beans from the garden. It tastes "cabbage-ey", much stronger than broccoli, and very "gas-ey".

 

The best way that I have ever had it prepared is pickled. It makes for very good pickling because it stays firm and crunchy, yet absorbs and retains all of those homestyle garlic dill pickle flavorings. We ate it as a garnish to a meal, on the side, like I would eat chilled canned olives with a meal. However, once pickled, because they tend to be round in shape, they do NOT go well in a sandwich.

 

By the way, my wife puts kiwi into her fruit salad, which she serves with a lime yougurt topping that she makes, and the kiwi always adds a lot of extra flavor. If you can get past the peeling of the brown fuzz, the kiwi has excellent flavor. I have heard the flavor described as a combination of the strawberry and the grape.

 

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[ligonier 0]

Would Kohlrabi do well in a stir fry ? We eat stir fried veggies a lot in our household, and tend to make a melange of vegetables all at once. Would you think that the kohlrabi would be too assertive a flavor and drown out others, or would it incorporate well.

 

An example of my veggie stir-fry would include : Cabbage, carrots, celery, onions, broccoli, bell peppers (whatever colors we have on hand), zuccini ( + whatever other fresh squash on hand), cauliflower and spinich (if not fresh then frozen). I like to start with the veggies that hold up the best (firmest) and the veggies that need the most cooking (onions, cabbage), then add veggies so they all come out to a similar texture. The stirfry tends to come out a little mushy for what most consider stirfry. I guess it would be closer to a veggie saute. The veggies still hold firm texture, but are not "dry" like a true stirfry because the juices do not evaporate quickly enough with all the variety of veggies.

[coffee 0]

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Kohlrabi, if cooked long enough, probably does soften up, but it was always firm the way we used to eat it. I would not be afraid of trying it in how you explained your version of stir fry. It has a very cabage-eey flavor, but if you are already using broccoli and cauliflower, in addition to cabbage, without feeling like you are already overkill with those flavors, then the kohlrabi probably will do just fine. Just remember that if it does not come out to your liking the first time, just add some good jalapenos into the mix and everything will taste just fine after that.

 

[ligonier 0]

I've noticed that cabbage gets sweeter when it is cooked, especially when it is sauteed or stir-fried. Or, steamed for that matter.

 

It seems to be related to the onion, and releases it's sweetness as it is cooked down.

 

In this way, I feel it loses it's "cabbage-ness" and becomes very eatable. I don't notice this same reaction when it is boiled in soup, or even in hloopsee, where it seems to retain it's cabbag-ey flavor and essence.

 

I don't know what the breaking point is where cabbage changes, but I know it does when it is sauteed, stir-fried, or fried in oil or butter. It reminds me of onion, when onion is stir fried or sauteed it gains a velvety texture and a sweet flavor.

 

I don't get the same reaction from broccoli or cauliflower, which are both also "cabbage-y" in flavor. They seem to retain their strong character, no matter how they're prepared. It softens, as the vegetable softens, but doesn't change like onion or cabbage.

 

 

 

For a stir-fry, would one add fresh jalapenos, or canned (pickled) ?

 

I don't know if I've ever tried adding jalapenos to stir-fry. Seems that that they would be too spicy for a cooked mix of vegetables. Unless you add potatos or some type of noodle to tone the heat down.

 

I have tried adding chopped potato to the stir-fry, it really adds another dimension.

[coffee 0]

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Re:

 

For a stir-fry, would one add fresh jalapenos, or canned (pickled) ?

 

I don't know if I've ever tried adding jalapenos to stir-fry. Seems that that they would be too spicy for a cooked mix of vegetables. Unless you add potatos or some type of noodle to tone the heat down.

 

As for me, I would add it to the finished mix, after it was already served on my plate, and I would add the pickled or marinated ones "en escabeche". That way it is done "to taste" based how much extra flavor I want to add.

 

I have done this with potato salad, with macaroni salad and even some vegetable soups that seemed like they needed a little "help", and I like the way it enhances the flavor. True, you don't end up adding as much to a vegetable only dish that you would to something with pasta and / or protein, but I think jalapenos are an excellent addition to any dish that has marginal flavor appeal.

 

The only way that I have ever eaten jalapenos fresh and really liked it, is in a fresh garden salsa relish, which, the best way that I know how to describe it is a Russo-Mex version of gazpacho.

 

You are right about cabbage though. It sounds boring but one of the favorite ways that I like to eat cabbage is sauteed as you described (we do ours in butter), until the cabbage gets all limpy and sweet (you have to keep stirring it, otherwise it will scorch and you will get a burned taste instead), and then serve it steaming hot, with a little lemon squirted over it, salt to taste and lots of fresh ground pepper (no jalapenos needed this time). Yummy

 

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