Living Large, and Local, for Lunch

by Holly

The days are already getting pretty darn long, here in Portland. I guess we're only about a month from Solstice, difficult though that is to believe. We've been talking about how nice the long evenings are because you can really do something with them. Often that's cooking, but it's nice to be able to take a ride, or work on bike maintenance, or make some pottery. So we've been trying out having lunch as our big meal, and having a simpler dinner. Fortunately, we work at home, so we can make lunch a bit of a production. This was a recent effort that stands out for its local flavors.

The sandwich features cold-sliced lamb, left over from dinner the night before. We recently went in on half of a local lamb with a friend (that sounds vaguely lascivious when I read it). This lunch was from the chops, which were delicious prepared with a spice rub that Julia Child suggests for pork chops. There were four chops, and we each had one for dinner, and then I sliced the others for the sandwich. I used mayonnaise Patrick made using a terrific local sunflower seed oil we found at the farmer's market. I also added a little domestic and organic, but not local, dijon, and salt and pepper.

(See my recent Henwaller post, "Salad Dressing Ramble," for details on the oil and other recent local treasures.)

The baguette was from a great local bakery, Pearl. They are very locally and environmentally conscious—and make amazing breads.

Clockwise from the sandwich is a cranberry chutney I made for our Thanksgiving—which we actually had in April. We'd gotten a bird for Thanksgiving, right after we moved here, and then got invited to a feast on Sauvie Island. We chose the feast, and finally got around to the bird in our freezer in April. I recommend Thanksgiving in April for a much more stress-free event. The chutney is a zesty relish, heavy on citrus.

At 6:00 on the plate is a mustard greens pickle Patrick made, using mustard from a local garden we help tend. It's also got some green garlic. Spicy and salty.

Last is a really good, simple dish we slightly adapted from Jack Bishop. His Vegetables Every Day is a must have for farmer's market devotees. Organized by vegetable, it gives you a starting place for just about everything, mostly simple and tasty.

This recipe is for Shredded Kohlrabi with Butter and Parmesan:

3 medium kohlrabi bulbs (about 1.5# without stalks and leaves)
2 T unsalted butter
1/4 c grated Parmesan
Salt & pepper
1T freshly minced parsley leaves

We didn't have enough Kohlrabi, so we used 2 bulbs, about 3/4#, and made up the rest with some really nice young zuchini and summer squash we got at the farmer's market. We were pretty stunned to see them so early, and thought the grower must be out of our foodshed, but they are just about 50 miles south of us, and using cold frames. The other substitution we did was to use Willamette Valley Cheese Company's aged Brindisi instead of parm. It's a nice, nutty cheese, and quite a nice option.

The kohlrabi gets peeled, but we didn't peel the squash. Shred (we used a food processer—but a cheese grater works). Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the vegetables when hot. Cook for about 8 minutes until tender. Stir frequently. When the veg is tender add the cheese, salt, and pepper, tossing until the cheese melts, about a minute. Remove from heat and garnish with the parsley.

If you've never tried kohlrabi, try this recipe. It is somewhat like the stalks of brocolli in flavor.

Patrick & Holly live in Portland, Oregon. Their blog Letter from Hen Waller records their experiences in urban homesteading, human-powered transportation, and otherwise living la vida local.

Comments

[Jamie]

Awesome...a kohlrabi recipe! We have some that are getting about ready to pick, and I'm a novice at using them.

The dairy-sensitive s.o. says, "Ooh, yeah, skip the cheese and add some homemade bacon, and I'm in." :-)

[Mary McGuire]

I found your lunch entry by clicking on
authors so now I've learned more about the site and how to navigate it. I had expected all current entries to be one after the other. I wonder if kohlrabi is anything like fennel. That bulb is a wonderful addition to many foods but it also very good cold in salad or braised by itself. Now you will have me looking at the market for kohlrabi just to solve the mystery. mary

[Brooke Myers]

Hi, I'm writing a story about kohlrabi for the portland tribune. It's such a diverse vegetable and grows in the winter yet I rarely see it on menus so I'd like to draw some attention to it. I'd love to talk to any kohlrabi "fans" or just hear about your experiences with it. You can email me and if you like leave a phone number so I could call you, or we can just communicate by email. I'd really appreciate it. Brooke Myers