Kohlrabi Root Vegetable Soup

We are very fortunate to have a very generous neighbor with a very productive garden. This season, she has bestowed upon us kale, spinach, sorrel, lettuce and, most recently, kohlrabi. After this week’s rain, and today’s cloudy sky and cool temperatures, now seemed like a good time for a pureed soup. In addition to being warming, pureed soups are great for a light meal, especially after a few days of dining out.

In this case, I had class all weekend after returning from an absolutely torturous trip from New York. Our wipers quit in a storm while driving north on 84 through Connecticut, forcing us to stop by the side of the road and wait 45 minutes for roadside assistance. All told, the incident cost us three hours on a trip that was already pocked with traffic delays. On the bright side, the Belle and Sebastian concert – the purpose of our pilgrimage – was fantastic, not rained out as we feared it might be, and we had a great time with our friends in Brooklyn. Thank you guys if you are reading this!

Ten hour drives and wonderfully fun and nostalgic concerts that make me feel like I’m not that old aside, this is a lovely soup for a chilly, damp evening. Isn’t it nice how nature offers us exactly what we need at exactly the right time of year? Berries in spring, tomatoes in summer, and root vegetables and tubers in the fall when our internal clocks tell us to beef up for winter.

While vegetable stock would be a fine replacement to make this soup vegetarian, I find that chicken stock adds a nice layer of savory flavor to counter the kohlrabi’s deep mellow sweetness. Carrots add color and parsnips keep things honest.

Kohlrabi Root Vegetable Soup – serves 4

2 T butter
2 kohlrabi, peeled and diced
3 parsnips, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
4 C chicken stock
1/3 C heavy cream
salt to taste

Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat. Add kohlrabi and saute for 2 minutes. Add parsnips and carrots and cook for 2 more minutes. Do not brown.

Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 5 – 7 minutes until vegetables are fork-tender.

Remove from heat and, working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Return the soup to the stockpot. Bring to a light simmer and stir in cream.

Remove from heat and serve.