This kohlrabi, mangetout and chive salad with a shallot vinaigrette is a fresh, crunchy summer side dish and a great introduction to my favourite vegetable. Kohlrabi has the crunch of an apple with a mild, slightly sweet flavour, and it deserves far more attention. Here it’s cut into batons and tossed with julienned mangetout and chives in a simple dressing of diced shallots, apple cider vinegar, honey, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. The shallots gently pickle in the vinegar as they sit, which gives the vinaigrette loads of flavour. It’s a make-ahead salad, just keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to serve. If you can’t find kohlrabi, fennel is a great alternative, or try your local greengrocer, Natoora or a Polish supermarket. This vegetarian salad serves 6 and is part of my Seasonal Sides series, celebrating the best seasonal produce with recipes I make for my private chef clients.
recipe
Servings:
6 as a side
Cook time:
10 minutes
Ingredients
2 kohlrabi (roughly tennis ball-sized)
200g mangetout
50g chives
3 small shallots (or 1 large échalion shallot)
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp flaky sea salt
Method
1. Peel the kohlrabi well to remove the tough outer layer, then cut into batons. Julienne the mangetout.
2. Slice half the chives into small rounds and cut the remaining half into longer lengths.
3. Finely dice the shallots and mix with the apple cider vinegar, honey and salt. Leave for 10–15 minutes so the shallots gently pickle.
4. When you're ready to serve, whisk the olive oil into the dressing, toss with the kohlrabi, mangetout and chives, and enjoy.