WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Here’s a simple, deeply satisfying soup that utilizes nearly every part of the vegetable—root to leaf, so to speak. Similar to cauliflower, kohlrabi is particularly low in overall fiber, so it tends to blend up perfectly into smooth soups and purees. Here we wanted to highlight the delicate flavor of this brassica in a creamy, velvety soup. We started by cooking kohlrabi in an aromatic base of butter, onions, and vegetable stock and then blending it all up. Tasters loved the smooth texture of this soup, but wanted more kohlrabi flavor. Switching from broth to water helped to highlight the delicate flavor of the vegetable, but to really amplify the brassica flavor, we added a bit of dry mustard. (Brassicas like kohlrabi belong to the mustard family and share the same aromatic compounds that give mustard its characteristic zing.) To give more richness and body to the soup, we added a bit of milk to this base. For textural variation, we even cooked the kohlrabi greens in the soup at the end, which added a welcome element of contrast. Macadamia nuts and chives sprinkled on top made a crunchy garnish. You can substitute 4 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces, for the kohlrabi leaves.

Serves 4 to 6

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• Salt
• 4 pounds kohlrabi with their leaves, kohlrabi trimmed, peeled, and cut into ½-inch pieces (6 cups), leaves stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (2 cups)
• 2 cups water, plus extra as needed
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1½ teaspoons dry mustard
• ⅓ cup salted dry-roasted macadamia nuts, chopped coarse
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and 1¼ teaspoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in kohlrabi pieces, water, and milk, and bring to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until kohlrabi is tender (paring knife should slip easily in and out of pieces), 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Using slotted spoon, transfer 1½ cups kohlrabi to bowl. Continue to cook soup, covered, until remaining kohlrabi is very tender and easily breaks apart when poked with paring knife, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in mustard.
4. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Return soup to now-empty pot and bring to simmer over medium-low heat.
5. Add kohlrabi leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and vibrant green, about 5 minutes.
6. Off heat, stir in reserved cooked kohlrabi. Adjust consistency with extra hot water as needed. Season with salt to taste.
7. Sprinkle individual portions with macadamia nuts and chives before serving.