Kohlrabi & Andouille Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, cut into half moons
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ripe pepperoncini, chopped or other mild-ish Italian pepper
- 1 bunch kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and cubed greens chopped
- 3/4 lb andouille sausage, cut into coins I used chicken andouille
- 8 oz quartered artichokes in oil, drained
- 14 oz canned chickpeas, drained
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 12 oz radiatori pasta
Instructions
- In a large skillet, saute the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, all of the kohlrabi, pepper and sausage until the kohlrabi softens. Add the artichokes, chickpeas and Cajun seasoning and saute until the vegetables are tender.
- Meanwhile cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the pan, cook 1-2 minutes, stirring to evenly distribute all ingredients.
- Serve immediately.
I love kohlrabi but over the years I’ve found it increasingly difficult to find in supermarkets. My personal theory is that with so many people doing pick up/drive up grocery shopping, stores are cutting back some of the produce offerings to the basics. You might not have kohlrabi on your list but you might be tempted to get it if you saw it in person but now that you aren’t actually shopping for yourself, you aren’t thinking of it at all so it doesn’t sell. But I’m thinking about kohlrabi. I had a hard time sourcing my favorite Stayman-Winesap apple this year and ended up ordering a half bushel from a local farm collective and had them delivered. The service has a hefty minimum for home delivery so I added some other items I’ve been having trouble finding–some fancy radish, Swiss chard, some heirloom winter squash, and purple and green kohlrabi.
This time I thought I’d spice it up a bit and paired it with andouille. I think kohlrabi tastes sort of like the inside of a broccoli stem–cool and herby–and I thought it would do well with the sausage. It really holds its texture even when it’s fully cooked which I love. The whole dish has a great combination of interesting textures. I really like pairing pantry ingredients (chickpeas, artichoke hearts, pasta) with fresh (kohlrabi, peppers). The fresh ingredients perk up the canned while the canned can add brininess (artichoke hearts) and stretch the fresh ingredients in a meal that’s quick to put together.
