Spiralized Kohlrabi With Bear Leek Hemp Pesto

This is my last fresh bear leek (Allium ursinum) recipe in this year. We are in May and bear leek is almost out of season. You can still forage it, but in May bear leek begins to bloom and the leaves turn stringy and loose their aroma. The flowers are edible. You can use the in salads and desserts. 


I made bear leek pesto before, but this recipe is different. The pesto turned our surprisingly tasty and I thought that kohlrabi would be the best vegetable to serve it with.

Ingredients: 
  • 1 cup roughly chopped bear leek (wild garlic) leaves, packed 
  • 1/3 cup hulled hemp seeds (hemp hearts)
  • juice of 1/2 lime (add more if you prefer)
  • 1/4 cup cold pressed hemp oil
  • Celtic sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 medium large kohlrabi 
  • 1 Tbsp whole hemp seeds 
  • handful of bear leek flowers for garnish 


Method:
  • Peel the kohlrabi and spiralize it. If you do not have a spiralizer you can use vegetable julienne peeler to make kohlrabi pasta. It is a bit more difficult, but it is doable. 
  • In a food processor whiz chopped bear leek with lime juice and hemp oil. More lime juice or more oil may be necessary depending on your personal preference. When you are happy with the consistency, add salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Add the hulled hemp seeds and mix again. 
  • Roughly crush the hemp seeds. Use mortar and pestle or a food processor. The seeds should look like a freshly crushed black peppercorns. 
  • Portion out the kohlrabi. 1 medium kohlrabi makes a wonderful portion. Scoop a generous amount of pesto and place it in the center of the spiralized kohlrabi. Sprinkle with crushed hemp seeds and garnish with fresh bear leek flowers. Enjoy in good company! 

I hope you will have a chance to try this dish. The mild, clean taste of kohlrabi harmonizes nicely with the lightly garlicky taste of bear leek. Pity the season is over and I wish I could save some of the pesto for later, but I love my raw food to be really fresh. Freezing is not an option for me. I will have to wait till next March to make another batch. In meantime, I will enjoy whatever I can grow, forage, or find at the farmers' market. Hope, you do too!

In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2018