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When Chef Hrant Arakelian and his wife Elizabeth Endicott opened their East Nashville restaurant Lyra, they wanted to pay homage to Arakelian’s Armenian roots by creating eclectic fare that showcases those flavors.
“Nearly everything on our menu is very spice driven,” he explains. “It adds another dimension to the food.”
His recipe for kohlrabi and apple salad is no exception to that spice-driven inspiration. Like many great recipes, the salad came together rather serendipitously. The sweet, peppery kohlrabi, punctuated by the heat and zing of pepper-infused honey vinegar feels right at home during this season of colder temps, but Arakelian says the salad works well “no matter what the weather.”
Lyra, 935 W. Eastland Ave., 615-928-8040; lyranashville.com
Kohlrabi and Apple Salad
Courtesy of Chef Hrant Arakelian, Lyra
Hot Pepper Honey Vinegar
Ingredients:
- 1 cup good quality honey
- 3⁄4 cup white distilled vinegar (Apple cider will work well but will add some sweetness.)
- 6-8 assorted chili peppers (This all depends on how spicy you like it; Serrano peppers and bird’s eye work well but avoid milder peppers because you really need the spice in this dish.)
- 1 bay leaf (fresh or dry)
- 3 sprigs of fresh oregano
Directions: Use the broiler setting on your oven to blister the peppers until the pepper skin is well toasted and charred, being careful not to cook the peppers until they are totally burned. If you have a gas range you can hold the peppers with a pair of tongs over the flame.
In a small pot combine the honey, vinegar, bay leaf, peppers, and oregano leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer for about 15 minutes. The air will become spicy so you can put a lid on the pot—just keep a close eye on it. You don’t want the liquid to be reduced; you just want the flavors to meld and the honey to dissolve. After 15 minutes of simmering, set the pan aside to cool.
The vinegar will keep for a while in the fridge. You may notice it getting a little cloudy as it sits— that’s the honey settling out in the vinegar.
Salad (serves 4 as a side salad)
Ingredients:
- 1 head of kohlrabi*
- 1 apple (honey crisp or fuji apples work great)
- 1 fennel bulb with fronds
- 2 sprigs of mint
- 1 to 1 1⁄2 tablespoons hot pepper honey vinegar
- 1⁄2 cup whole unsalted pistachios
- Pistachio oil
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon dry rose petals
- Black lava salt or pink Himalayan salt
- Optional equipment: Vegetable Spiralizer
The following steps can all be done a few hours ahead of time:
Peel the outer green skin off the kohlrabi; it can be a little tough, so a paring knife works best. Cut into long ribbons (about 1⁄8 inch thick) on the spiralizer or cut by hand into thin (1⁄8 inch thick) strips. Set the kohlrabi aside.
Wash the apple and fennel then cut to the same size as the kohlrabi using the spiralizer (or by hand) and combine into a second bowl.
Add the hot pepper honey vinegar to the bowl with the apples and fennel and mix well. Set aside for the apples and fennel to soften in the vinegar.
Pick the mint and set aside.
If the fennel bulb had the tops on it pick a small, loose handful (1⁄4 cup) of the fronds.
Toast the pistachios in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes then cool completely on the counter, and crush into a medium coarse powder.
When you are ready to eat the salad, add a teaspoon of pistachio oil to the kohlrabi and gently toss to coat. (Use a light touch when stirring; you don’t want to lose the volume of the spiralized kohlrabi.)
Add all of the apple/fennel mixture including any juices that weeped out at the bottom of the bowl. Stir gently to combine, taking care not to crush the kohlrabi.
Divide the salad in to 4 salad plates, using a gentle touch to keep the volume of the kohlrabi light and airy. (If you haven’t guessed by now, the airiness of the salad is very important!)
Sprinkle the picked mint and fennel fronds over the salads, then dust generously with the crushed pistachios, and add a few rose petals on top, giving them a light crush between your fingers as you sprinkle them.