Cooking with lemongrass means hacking your way to flavor

Most plants don’t intimidate me, in the kitchen or otherwise. On the contrary, we’re usually fast friends.

My first encounter with kohlrabi, for instance, started with fascination — that alien-spaceship look! — but it quickly turned to delight once I peeled, sliced and ate (at first, raw; later, cooked). Anything that might stump me at first, I figured, can be sauteed or roasted in garlic and olive oil until I branch out.