Hungarian creamy kohlrabi soup (Karalábé leves)

Recipe

Kohlrabi, also known as German turnip or turnip cabbage, is a vegetable that actually tastes more like broccoli stems, but a little sweeter. It has a similar bulb shape to a turnip is why the name.

A friend cooked this soup for me while I was visiting in Austria, and I loved it. I thought of it again for my Hungarian themed dinner party when researching recipes – as I love a soup starter! It’s an item you can prepare well in advance, even freeze if needed, for a luxurious start to a dinner party. Yet it is so easy to add.

Kohlrabi is easy to peel and handle – when you see it in season you could either try this soup, or fry it like broccoli stems in a stir fry or grate into salads – it can be eaten raw or cooked.

I like to follow it with a big bowl of goulash.

Serves 6 as a main. V. GF.

Pictured: Hungarian creamy kohlrabi soup (Karalábé Leves)

2 tbsp butter or light olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium purple kohlrabi bulbs (max 500g each), peeled and chopped

1 medium potato, peeled and chopped

2 ½ cups vegetable stock

2 ½ cups milk

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper

Begin this soup as you would for the base of any smooth soup, prepare all the ingredients - chop and measure it all out and have your stock pot ready.

Warm the pan to medium and add the butter/oil and onion and once sizzling turn it to low and put the lid on and sweat the onion a few minutes til translucent and soft.

Add the kohlrabi and potato and cook a few minutes, then add all the rest of the ingredients – making sure the liquid only just covers the vegetables. Bring it to the boil then reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Let cool a while, remove the bay leaf and blend with an immersion blender til smooth. If using a normal blender, or the kohlrabi is especially fibrous, you may need to sieve the soup to get the velvet texture you are looking for.

Serve with some chopped chives and fresh bread.