Kohlrabi and Celery Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette
Hello, Team Kohlrabi! I’m so glad we’re all on the same page about kohlrabi by now. We are, right? We all agree that we all love, love, love it and it’s one of our favorite, most versatile veggies? If not, I’m kind of surprised you’re still here, and not completely annoyed by how many kohlrabi recipes I share. But I can’t help it! Every time I think I’ve got it all figured out, that I’ve tried kohlrabi every way I would ever really wish to have it… I discover a new way. I can’t keep that love to myself.
This one caught my eye when I was browsing through my mom’s copy of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, which I am so enthralled with that I took it home for an extended stay at my house. (On a related note: aren’t moms the best?! They just give you their cookbooks! Just mine? Really? Well… isn’t my mom the best?! Sorry.) Anyway, I was looking for something completely different, when I saw this kohlrabi and celery salad tucked away almost as a side note to another recipe. It seemed improbably that it would be anything special, seeing as it didn’t even really have its own recipe in the cookbook, but now I was curious. And what’s more, I had another giant kohlrabi in my fridge that I needed to find a good use for.
I was so pleasantly surprised! Now, I know that you’re thinking that celery is super lame and you’d never just eat a salad made of half celery. If you’re not, I’m surprised, because celery most certainly is lame. It’s science. But somehow, in this, it kind of rocks. Not like, ok… it’s fine. No, it’s good. Let’s let that sink in for just a teensy sec.
Ok, now that we’ve gotten over the celery thing, we can move on. This salad is so perfectly crisp, crunchy, and refreshing, but is plenty zingy, due to the creamy vinaigrette that’s studded with briny capers and plenty of mustard. This is the perfect salad to make late in the year, when salad greens get harder to come by, because it’s the perfect fresh accompaniment to a meal. But I’m also thinking it would be delicious on top of a small handful of arugula or micro greens. Not that we need that, right, Team Kohlrabi? Team Kohlrabi?! Hello?
German Easter Bread (Osterbrot)
Also, feel free to substitute lemon juice and zest for the orange in the recipe. That was what was in the original recipe, and it's delicious.
Ingredients
- For bread:
- 3 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 3 ½ all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 tsp grated orange zest
- For filling:
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3 tbsp sugar
- For glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Juice of half an orange
- 1 tsp orange zest
- To garnish:
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- In a large bowl (or bowl of your mixer), dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water. Let sit for a few minutes, until frothy and bubbly.
- Add in the flour and salt, and mix either with the paddle attachment of your mixer, or by hand with a wooden spoon. Add in the eggs and orange zest. Once the dough begins to come together, either switch to a dough hook for your mixer, or turn out onto a clean surface and knead by hand. Knead in the softened butter, and continue to knead until the dough is soft, smooth, and just barely sticky, about 5-7 minutes. (If it’s impossibly sticky, add a bit more flour, but take care not to add to much- the dough should be soft and slightly tacky.)
- Shape the dough into a ball and place in a clean oiled bowl. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. In a medium-sized bowl, combine egg whites, sugar, and almond extract. Beat with a fork or a small whisk until whitish and frothy. Stir in the ground almonds until well combined.
- Divide the dough in half. Place half the dough on a well-floured board and roll out into a roughly 10 x 14” rectangle. Spread half of the almond filling evenly over the dough. Tightly roll the dough starting along a long side, lifting and pulling the dough snug as you roll. When you have a nice tight roll, pinch the seams and set the roll seam-side down. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough.
- To shape the loaf, pinch the end of each roll together, tucking the end under. Twist the two rolls together, pinching the ends together again at the end and tucking them under the loaf as well.
- Place the shaped loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a baking mat and cover with a clean towel or lightly drape with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest and rise again, for about 45 minutes to an hour.
- Bake the loaf in a 350 degree F oven for 35-40 minutes or until a nice golden brown on top. Let cool on a wire rack.
- To finish the bread, mix all the glaze ingredients together (adding a little water to get your to the desired consistency), then drizzle the icing over the top of the bread. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top.