Kohlrabigemüse – German Kohlrabi, Carrot & Potato Stew
Kohlrabi is probably one of my favourite vegetables. It’s pretty much a staple of German cuisine, but here in Scotland it’s not as common. I’ve never seen any in the supermarkets, but I’m usually able to find it in one of the many independent fruit & veg shops dotted around Edinburgh. Although I love kohlrabi at any time of year, a steaming bowl of this creamy kohlrabi, carrot & potato stew is the perfect comfort food on a cold and dreich winter’s day.
Ingredients
- 1kg kohlrabi
- 500g potatoes
- 500g carrots
- 500ml vegetable bouillon (or 500ml water + 2tsp bouillon powder)
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 2 Tbsp cornflour
- 2 Tbsp water
- 200g cream cheese
- Salt & pepper
- Nutmeg
Directions
Peel the kohlrabi and cut it in to slices about half a centimetre thick, then cut the slices in to ‘sticks’ also about half a centimetre wide.
Peel the potatoes and cut them in to roughly bite sized cubes, about 1.5cm big.
Peel the carrots and cut them in to slices, about half a cm thick.
Place all the prepped vegetables in a large saucepan, add the 500ml bouillon plus the salt, and bring to the boil.
Lower the heat, cover with a lid, and leave to simmer on low heat for 15 – 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through.
Note: You might think you want to add more water/bouillon, but the vegetables will give off water as they cook too, so unless you want to end up with soup the 500ml should be enough. It’s very important though that you cook it with the lid on so it doesn’t all evaporate!
Once the vegetables are cooked through, all that’s left is to season and thicken the sauce. First, add the dried herbs.
Then, in a separate cup, mix the cornflour with 2 Tbsp of water. Turn up the heat a little bit, and stir in the cornflour mix. Keep it simmering until the sauce starts to thicken.
Then stir in the cream cheese and keep stirring until it has dissolved.
Finally, season with salt and pepper to your liking, and add either a grating of fresh nutmeg or a pinch of ground nutmeg.
You can either eat a steaming bowl of this comforting vegetable stew as it is, or serve with some chunky bread to soak up the sauce.
