Kohlrabi Crackers

Chop the stems below the rubber band to liberate the bulb from the leaves. The leaves are edible, but they’re not that tender, so braise them in stock if you decide to go for it. The bulb is what you’re after today.

Use a sharp knife to pare the bottom half of the kohlrabi. You’ll want to be pretty aggressive with your cuts—this end has a thick skin. Pull off any wisps of stems that remain on the top half of the bulb, then finish the peeling with a vegetable peeler or small paring knife.

Slice the bulbs into planks. They’re great raw, and you already know we think they make excellent vegetable “crackers.” The flavor is sweet like a broccoli stem, but sweeter, and the texture is juicy and crisp. If you’re into jicama, you’ll like this, too.

Kohlrabi is great chopped into matchsticks and dressed with a yogurt-lemon sauce. But we almost never bother. The most careful preparation we feel we need for kohlrabi is peel, chop, crunch.

Which means they’re a wonderful vehicle for hummus.