Kohlrabi with apple, mint, hazelnuts,
and formaggio di fossa
SERVES 4
“Kohlrabi mimics the sweetness and especially the texture of
apples,” says Mattos. “Aside from taking care to slice the two
main ingredients evenly, there’s not much to worry about here; it’s
going to be excellent. The best time to prepare this is late summer
or early autumn, when apples are crisp and kohlrabi begins to
sweeten, but you can proceed with it into winter.”Pictured p108.
½ cup skinned hazelnuts
60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin
olive oil
Grey salt (see note)
2 small kohlrabi (tennis ball
sized)
1 crisp vibrant, acidic apple,
such as Jazz
Finely grated zest of
2 lemons plus 2 tbsp
lemon juice
2 tbsp chardonnay vinegar
½ cup (loosely packed) mint
leaves (large leaves torn)
2 tbsp pickling liquid from
pickled Thai chillies
(see recipe opposite)
Formaggio di Fossa
(see note), for shaving
1 Preheat oven to 165°C. Spread
hazelnuts on a small baking
tray and roast, shaking the pan
halfway, until golden (10 minutes;
don’t let them get too dark).
Cool, then crush with the
bottom of a heavy pan to fine
crumbs with some chunky bits.
2 Transfer hazelnuts to a small
bowl and toss with 2 tbsp olive
oil and a good pinch of grey
salt. Set aside.
3 Peel and trim kohlrabi, very
thinly slice with a knife or on a
mandoline, then wrap in damp
paper towels.
4 Peel the apple, cut it into
6mm-thick slices of varying
shapes (we usually start slicing
from one side, then lay the
apple on the resulting flat side
and continue slicing from there).
5 Transfer kohlrabi and apple to
a bowl and toss with lemon zest,
lemon juice and vinegar and sea
salt flakes to taste. Add mint and
toss to combine.
6 Drizzle remaining olive oil
and the pickling liquid evenly
onto 2 plates. Stack a quarter
of the apples and kohlrabi over
each puddle in an organic
fashion (imagine a trifle). Top
with hazelnuts, then stack on
remaining apples and kohlrabi,
followed by remaining nuts.
7 Use a microplane (or the
large holes of a box grater) to
cover the salad with a good
layer of cheese and serve.
NoteGrey salt, also known
as sel gris or Celtic sea salt,
is available from select
health-food shops. Formaggio
di Fossa is available from
select delicatessens. Substitute
a good-quality pecorino.Panna cotta with honey
SERVES 6“Who doesn’t love a good custard? This version is one of the
easiest desserts to make that isn’t just a bowl of fruit,” says
Mattos. “What distinguishes it is the mixture of honey and
cabernet vinegar on top – to cut through the creaminess and
add some excitement – as well as a sprinkling of bee pollen.”3 titanium-strength gelatine
sheets
1 litre heavy cream
50 gm caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds
scraped
60 ml (¼ cup) honey
2 tbsp cabernet vinegar
Sea salt flakes and bee
pollen (see note), to serve1 Soak gelatine in a bowl of cold
water to soften (20 minutes).
Squeeze excess water from
gelatine and set aside in a small
bowl. Prepare an ice bath.
2 Bring cream and sugar to
the boil in a large saucepan.
Remove from heat, add gelatineand stir to dissolve. Strain
mixture into a heatproof bowl
and set bowl in the ice bath
to cool to room temperature.
3 Add vanilla to panna cotta
base and mix well. Pour mixture
into six 200ml ramekins or
small bowls, leaving at least
1cm of space at the top. Cover
with plastic wrap and refrigerate
to set (at least 3 hours).
4 When ready to serve, whisk
honey and vinegar in a small
bowl until well combined. Top
each ramekin with a spoonful
of the mixture, then finish with
sprinkles of sea salt flakes and
bee pollen.
NoteBee pollen is available
from health-food shops.●Panna cotta
with honey