A carpaccio is an Italian dish of thinly sliced meat, usually raw smoked beef, that is drizzled with olive oil and lemon. There are also versions of carpaccio with other meats and fish that are delicious. In this case, the chef has made this dish vegetarian by using kohlrabi. Kohlrabi, or knolkohl, is one of those vegetables that folks ignore in the vegetable store, mainly because they do not know what to do with it. I love this vegetable, raw and cooked. Subtly flavored, crunchy and full of nutrients, this is a wonderful vegetable. For this recipe, use the smallest ones in the pile. They have a tough outer skin, followed by a layer of fiber especially in the more mature vegetable, make sure you peel it all of, I sometimes have to have to peel 2-3 layers off, till you get to the edible crunchy center. In addition, this is a dish that does best with very thin slices, use a mandolin for best results. The thin slices absorb the flavors from the herb, salt and lemon juice faster.
This is a wonderful cookbook from a master chef. The River Cottage series are a phenomenal series filled with approachable recipes and educational. I highly recommend this complete series. Photo credit Nisha Bilgrami.
For more wonderful recipes from this cookbook, click here.
Ingredients:
3 baby kohlrabi, peeled, and sliced thin, preferably with a mandolin
A few slices hard goat’s cheese, like a Manchego cheese
A sprinkle of fresh or dried thyme
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
A generous sprinkle of large grain sea salt
A generous drizzle of EVOO
Layer the sliced kohlrabi in slightly overlapping circles on a dish. Drizzle the lemon juice, and olive oil. Sprinkle the herbs and salt. Layer with the cheese. Serve as an appetizer or starter.