Kohlrabi: The Alien of the Produce Aisle

• What is Kohlrabi? It’s a member of the cabbage family (Kohl + Rabi / Cabbage-Turnip). While I see a lot of ingredients that are quite exotic to me find their way into many American kitchens, I have the feeling Kohlrabi is quite the outsider. All of the people I asked said they had never even heard of it, or they saw it in a store but didn’t know what it was. 
• Where to buy? When I first came to the US, I realized that there was no Kohlrabi anywhere, unlike in German supermarkets where it is a staple. Only two years ago, I found Kohlrabi at Meijer by coincidence. I didn’t even hesitate—I grabbed a few of the largest bulbs, though I wasn’t thinking about cooking them yet—no, just as a quick, crunchy, and healthy snack to eat raw. Since then, I’ve learned that nearly every Meijer has Kohlrabi and I’ve also started seeing seedlings being sold at Farmers Markets.
• Handling: When you get your hands on Kohlrabi, be prepared for some work. The outer layer is tough and woody. You do not want this in your meal later, as you cannot really cook it tender. Use a sharp knife rather than a vegetable peeler, and don’t be afraid to peel deep until you reach the light-green, succulent center.

For this recipe, we will peel the Kohlrabi, cut it into fry-shaped sticks, and cook it in salty water. Later we will serve it with a white bechamel sauce and Fleischküchle. 

What is a Fleischküchle?

In other parts of Germany, they are known as Bulette or Frikadelle. Many people believe they are the reason the Hamburger exists today—when German immigrants brought the “Hamburg-steak” to America and eventually combined it with a bun. When I was a child, my parents would actually make Hamburgers using Fleischküchle instead of a plain beef patty, which is a variation I highly recommend trying!

The Bread Hack: The dry bread part is usually handled by buying “Knoedelbrot” in Germany. In the US, I did not find an equivalent to just buying a bag of cubed dry bread, but there is a simple solution: Just buy bread, cube it, and let it go stale (white bread works best!).

It’s the perfect way to use up a loaf that’s past its prime. At my childhood home, we always kept old bread rolls and bread slices, storing them away to be used when needed. As soon as it seemed like we had more than we would ever need for Fleischküchle, Maultaschen, or Knoedel, we would grind them down into breadcrumbs for our next Schnitzel session. Nothing went to waste.

Side Option: Salted Potatoes

Just take some festkochende (waxy) potatoes like Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes—I explain the differences between potato types in my Potato Salad post —peel them, cube them, and cook them in salty water.

Print Recipe

Kohlrabi with Fleischküchle

Kohlrabi (cabbage) in a creamy bechamel sauce with Fleischkuechle (German Meat Pie)

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: German, Swabian

Keyword: Fleischkuechle, german, Kohlrabi, Meat Pie, swabian

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 600kcal

Ingredients

Kohlrabi

• 3 to 5 Kohlrabi bulbs they can vary in size!

Fleischkuechle

• 5 oz of cubed dry bread
• 1 lb Minced pork-beef mixture
• 1 cup onions chopped (about one smaller onion)
• 1/2 cup Parsley chopped
• 3 Eggs
• Salt and pepper
• Potentially breadcrumbs to adjust the texture

The Sauce

• 4 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ quart half & half
• 1/2 quart of the cooking water from the kohlrabi
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or to taste

Instructions

Kohlrabi and Bechamel Sauce

• Peel the kohlrabi and cut into fries shaped sticks. Boil kohlrabi sticks in salted water (10-15 mins). Drain, saving 1/2 quart of liquid.
  
• Melt the butter in a pan and make a roux with by adding the flour. Slowly whisk in half & half and reserved cooking water.
  
• Season with salt and nutmeg.
• Fold kohlrabi into the sauce.
  

Fleischküchle

• Soak bread in warm water, then squeeze completely dry. Briefly sauté the onions in some oil/butter.
• Mix meat, squeezed bread, egg, onions, parsley, and spices. Add breadcrumbs to adjust texture.
• Form into flat patties. Coat briefly in breadcrumbs.
  
• Pan-fry in oil/butter until dark brown and crispy (approx. 6 mins per side).
  

Serving

• Serve both on a plate. Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley as a garnish.
  

Notes

You can coat the Fleischküchle in the breadcrumbs to give them an even crispier texture!

Serving recommendation: Add a side of salty potatoes!

If you are looking for other Swabian Recipes, you can try my traditional Mayo-Free Potatoe Salad. Craving a comforting soup, check out our Avgolemono recipe.