KOHLRABI SOUP – “KARALABE LEVES”

KOHLRABI SOUP – “KARALABE LEVES”

I bet many of you have not even heard about this veggie.  In my New York neighborhood it’s very popular and back in Transylvania you really wanted to get invited for dinner when you smelled the cooking of kohlrabi soup from your neighbor’s kitchen. The flavor and fiber content along with the vitamins in the leaves and in the veggie itself it’s medicine alone.  Just try it out one time and I guarantee that it will become one of your favorites in the summer months.  Traditionally only rice or home made dumplings are present in the soup but my carnivore hubby needed meat so I enticed him with tiny meatballs. Recalling his words: “It was orgasmic”. :)

INGREDIENTS:

1. 2 bunches of kohlrabi (about 7-8 pieces) – peeled and cut in ½ inch cubes. Don’t throw away the green leafy part.  Wash half of the leaves thoroughly then chop them up like you would do with parsley.
2. 1 onion – chopped
3. 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil
4. Vegeta, black pepper and a pinch of sweet paprika
5. water for cooking
6. 4 tablespoons of all purpose flour
7. 4 tablespoons of sour cream

MAKING THE MEATBALLS:

I usually prepare the meatballs first and let the mixture rest in the fridge until ready to be used.  I also prepare a larger portion of the meatball mixture so I can freeze half for another soup that requires meatballs, like my spectacular veggie soup "Ciorba"

1. 2 Lbs of ground pork
2. 1 egg
3. 3 cloves of garlic –finely chopped
4. 1 small onion or larger shallot –finely chopped
5. 1 handful of parsley – chopped
6. 1 full cup of white rice
7. Vegeta or Sea Salt, black pepper and paprika – don’t be stingy with the spices, baby J it makes or breaks a meatball.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly, dig in with both of your hands and enjoy your creation. Taste it so it’s spicy enough and separate it into 2 halves. You can freeze 1 portion for another occasion.  Label your Ziploc bag with the date and content and place the other half in your fridge covered with plastic wrap until you’re ready to use it in the kohlrabi soup.

Take your soup bowl (9 quarts, you WANT plenty of leftover of this wonderful soup) add the olive oil, chopped onion and the cut up kohlrabies and leaves and cook them until almost soft.  About 15 minutes.  Now add the water but leave enough space for the upcoming meatballs.  Use your spices abundantly. Eva will love you for it.  J

After it reaches boiling point you can take your meatballs out and make tiny, cute balls and drop them in the soup.  After about 20 minutes take some soup liquid out, about a  cup and in a food processor or Magic Bullet, add the flour and sour cream, mix it thoroughly and put it back in the cooking soup.  Check for spices and let it all cook together for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle it with freshly chopped parsley or not because you have all those leaves from the kohlrabi to give you that green feeling.  Pictures can’t tell the extraordinary flavor of this soup so you just have to make it yourself. I’m proud of you!

EGESZSEGEDRE!                                                                     BON APPETITE!