Cookbook review: Edible, A Celebration of Local Foods, with a recipe

Many people tell my husband, cookbook author Giuliano Hazan, that they read his cookbooks to get a “taste of Italy”.  This book is an armchair traveler's nirvana, written by people who actually live in the area of which they write, celebrating local foods.  It’s regional sections begin with “people, places and things”,  a space devoted to people, trivia, farms, restaurants and food related festivals that are not in the more traditional guidebooks.

The recipes of the book are organized by season.  My children and I decided to make the kohlrabi recipe -- we had seen the vegetable at the market but were unfamiliar with it.  This gave us an opportunity to try a new food, in the form of a recipe that was handed down by the immigrants who originally brought it to the Midwest.

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Kohlrabi with Bacon

From Edible Iowa River Valley, in Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 kohlrabi bulbs (about 2 and 1/2 pounds), outer rind removed, 1/2 inch dice

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/4 cup sour cream.

In a large sauté pan, heat the butter and oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, Stir in the kohlrabi and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper.

Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kohlrabi is tender and the broth has been absorbed, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the bacon, if using.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  Serve hot, with sour cream on the side.

Lael Hazan, of the noted Italian culinary Hazan family, teaches food history at their cooking school in Verona Italy, is contributing editor of Saveur.com, writes for Sarasota Magazine and Edible Sarasota; and has a bi-monthly radio show on WSLR, 96.5FM — Focus on Fabulous Food.