Crunch 'n' Munch Salad

I've been trying for the past couple of months to buy something new to me each time I go to the store, to widen my repertoire and to get out of the blogging blahs. My latest attempt is kohlrabi, a vegetable I had never tasted and rarely even heard about.

Kohlrabi is actually an enlarged stem of a plant closely related to broccoli (oh, those lovable crucifers!) so once the barrel-shaped purple stem was peeled down to its pale green innards, it tasted like very mild, crisp broccoli with celery root texture. I'd say that kohlrabi is to broccoli as celery root is to celery, a milder, sweeter cousin.

A few days ago, we ate half the kohlrabi in our Hobo Packets, but I still had a bit left, so I decided to try making a sort of chunky slaw with the remainder. I cut the kohlrabi into matchsticks and sliced a fennel bulb into into curls of about the same thickness, squeezed half a Meyer lemon over them and, just before serving, tossed both with a Dijon-style mustard vinaigrette made with Meyer lemon juice and olive oil. Garnished with lemon zest and a sprig of fennel leaf, it made a pretty salad with a manly crunch and a sweet-tart tang.

If that doesn't get me out of the blogging blahs, nothing will!