Creamed Kohlrabi

New Year's Eve Hoppin John, Will asleep in cradle, year ending with continuity promise, peas and love and the life going on. The week was the life. The life was the cooking. The cooking was the love. And the love was the week, and the week was one of the weeks that stack together to become the years, and the years become the life, and the life is the woman at the stove who cooks and writes and loves and does not stop.

I made she-crab soup on Sunday — the anchor, the constant, the practice. The soup was perfect. The perfection was the practice. And the practice continues, one Sunday at a time, one bowl at a time, one life at a time, the woman stirring, the roux thickening, the kitchen warm, the family fed, the love alive.

The she-crab soup anchored the Sunday, but it was the smaller, quieter acts of cooking that carried the week — the vegetables softened in cream, the stove kept warm long after the bowls were cleared. Creamed kohlrabi is that kind of dish: unpretentious, nourishing, the sort of thing you make because the kitchen deserves to stay alive even when the big celebrations are over. It felt right to follow a week of continuity and love with something humble and warm, something that asks only for a little butter and a little patience, and gives back everything.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 medium kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

Simmer the kohlrabi. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the kohlrabi cubes and cook for 8–10 minutes, until just tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside.
Build the cream sauce. In a wide skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until softened and translucent. Sprinkle the flour over the onion and stir constantly for 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.
Add the dairy. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking continuously, then add the heavy cream. Continue whisking over medium heat until the sauce thickens and is smooth, about 3–4 minutes.
Season and combine. Stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the drained kohlrabi to the skillet and gently fold to coat every piece in the cream sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes more, until everything is warmed through and the flavors have melded.
Serve. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and scatter the fresh parsley over the top. Serve immediately as a side dish alongside roasted meats, simple grains, or on its own with good bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Creamed Kohlrabi — The Quiet Comfort of a Kitchen That Never Stops