Roasted Kohlrabi and Eggs with Greens

This is my latest recipe for the Edible Santa Fe website. I'm so excited to be doing this on a weekly basis for such a great local food magazine!!

Kohlrabi is such a funny looking vegetable. The bulbous stem is the part most people eat, but the greens are also edible. It needs cool weather to grow, so it's in season now, or later in fall.  It's been showing up in the Los Poblanos box lately, and at the Downtown ABQ growers' market this week, I bought some cute little bulbs from Seth at Vida Verde Farm. I think kohlrabi tastes best if you cook it either a lot or not at all - roasted until it caramelizes, or raw in salad or slaw.

I've been wanting to try this recipe by Jeremy Fox of Ubuntu restaurant in Napa, CA, which was originally printed in Sunset magazine. I have long been looking for a really interesting way to cook kohlrabi. And I always love greens - everyone at the growers' markets has all kinds of gorgeous greens at this time of year.

I haven't always been an egg lover, but we recently got 3 adorable chickens, and I guess maybe I'm a convert! It could be my imagination, but I think the fresh eggs really do taste better. So lately I'm looking for new ways to use them. If you're looking for fresh eggs, you can often find them at growers' markets. If you don't see them, ask a farmer - they are bound to know someone who sells eggs.

The only problem with this fabulous recipe was that it took 3 1/2 hours from start to finish! So here's my modified version that only takes one hour:

6-8 smallish (2-3 inches in diameter) kohlrabi bulbs
1/4 cup (for the kohlrabi) + 2 Tbs (for the greens) olive oil
4 eggs
1 bunch kohlrabi greens and/or any other greens you like, sliced into thin ribbons
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/4 cup water
2 Tbs sherry vinegar (or just use cooking sherry + cider vinegar)
1-2 Tbs honey, to taste
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs prepared mustard

Peel the kohlrabi, and cut in 1-2 inch chunks. Toss with olive oil in a baking pan, and cover with foil. Roast at 450F for 35 minutes or until tender, turning every five minutes after about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes, then boil them until they are almost hard-boiled (about 5 minutes up here at 5000 feet). Crack all over and drop into cold water to cool before peeling.

Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a large skillet. When hot, add the mustard seeds and let them sizzle until they begin to pop. Add the greens and bay leaves and turn to coat with oil. Add the water, sherry vinegar, honey and salt. Do NOT add liquids to the pan before adding the greens, otherwise hot oil will splatter all over your kitchen! Cook until greens are thoroughly wilted.

A word about the greens - the first time I made this recipe I used endive (also from Vida Verde farm), which needs a long cooking time. It is seriously bitter, so if you're ready for some intense flavor, go for it! Kohlrabi greens and collards can be very tough if you don't cook them long enough. Kale is a bit more forgiving. The original recipe calls for sorrel, which does not really need much cooking at all, so if you do use sorrel just turn off the heat after you've added all the ingredients.

Chop the eggs into quarters, and toss with the kohlrabi and greens. If you love mustard flavor like I do, add the prepared mustard as you toss. If you like a little subtler flavor, leave it out.

This dish has a fantastic mixture of big, bold flavors! I loved it with kohlrabi, but if you can't find it, try serving just the greens and eggs over a local free range chicken breast.