Serves: 4
Approx cost: €2
Approx calories (per serving with 60g dried Pasta): ~560
Approx preparation and cooking time: 20 mins
A couple of years ago I’d bought a great big bunch of carrots still with the greens attached from my local market. After returning home and eating a couple of the carrots (why do carrots with greens attached taste so damn good? – I guess they must be significantly fresher) I looked at the giant mess of leaves and stalks on the counter top and I pondered if there wasn’t something that could be done with it. Sure enough, a few minutes of searching later it seems that Carrot Top pesto is quite popular. Here’s my own take on this dish as today’s post! The tops can be a little bitter – not unpleasantly so, but let’s face it… it’s not basil! – so I add a decent amount of nuts and parmesan. The result is a deliciously creamy, and rather fun, dish which you can either serve the traditional way, with pasta, or smother in a sandwich or use as a dip.
In other news, I realised today that I’m a mere 15 posts (including this one) from the big “100” mark. The wonderful thing about writing a food blog, as well as getting to know so many wonderful people who stop by my little niche on the web here, is the fact that it forces you to be adventurous. No-one wants to read a blog with a hundred different recipe posts based solely around tomato and minced beef sauces (well, very few people I’d wager!). I love food, but I will admit that before I was writing these posts I would often cycle through the same 40 or 50 recipes, simply out of ease. I don’t think I’ve had a single repeat recipe in the last 6 months which is a lot of fun! Anyway, the big 100 will be coming up in just a few weeks – the 2nd of August if my calculations are correct, based on my current post schedule of one post every 3 days, so I think I’ll start planning a little celebration 😉 In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy today’s recipe!
Ingredients
– One large bunch of Carrots, still with the greens attached
– 70g Walnuts
– 70g Parmesan
– 1 large Onion
– 4-5 cloves of Garlic
– 4 tbsps Olive Oil
– Juice from half a Lemon
– Salt
– Pepper
You’ll also need
– A Food Processor
Instructions
- Start off by peeling the onion and garlic and chop roughly. Put 1 tbsp of Olive Oil in a pan and heat up. Cut off the green tops of the carrots, discard any especially thick pieces of stalk, chop into sections and transfer to a colander or sieve and rinse thoroughly. Store the carrots away for use in a soup or salad or something later!
- Add the onion and garlic into the hot oil and fry lightly for a minute or so, until the onion starts to become translucent. Add the washed carrot tops into the pan and fry lightly, stirring well, for only about 30 seconds, just until the stalks and leaves begin to wilt slightly.
- Place the greens, onion and garlic into a Food Processor. Grate the parmesan cheese finely and add this in to the carrot-tops with the walnuts, some freshly ground salt and pepper and the remaining Olive Oil and lemon juice. Turn on the mixer and chop well for around 2 minutes, or until quite smooth. You may need to scrape away the build-up from the edges of the bowl, and add more Olive Oil if necessary.
- Serve with pasta, as a dip, or on a sandwich… or basically any way you please, and enjoy!
Never heard of this, but I love it. It prevents waste. I mean you could throw them on the compost pile or in a broth… but still. I use arugula in mine, and that's quite peppery. The stuff I grow is strong! I think this would taste fabulous. I am enjoying your blog and am glad you're having so much fun.
Arugula pesto? Wow, that's another one to try – sounds yummy. I love arugula – makes fantastic salads, especially with some left-over roast beef, avocado and a garlic and yoghurt sauce! Speaking of preventing waste – my wife tries to take all our vegetable tops and tails, freezes it, and when there's enough stuff she makes stock out of it. She did the same with the goose carcass left over from Christmas some months back and my God was that stock rich. Really fatty and meaty!
Hope you're having a good weekend 🙂
Wow! I can't wait to see what you cook-up to celebrate the big 100!!! I've never heard of carrot top pesto and I don't think I would have ever thought to use the tops of carrots. How clever! You're right – this is the great thing about blogging. I've learned more about food and recipes in the past few months than I had in my previous 30-some years. So clever – and it looks great over the pasta!
Thanks Kristy. I try and get my carrots from the supermarket now. The last two times I went to my local market the, presumably well-meaning, guy tending the stall twisted off the greens and threw them in the trash before I even had a chance to say anything, lol
I think a cake would be fitting for my 100th post, and I know pretty much the perfect one, although I'll have to investigate! Hope you had a good weekend 🙂
I love the use of the carrots greens here – how unusual and fantastic at the same time! I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing carrot greens… now I'm intrigued. I also like the walnuts over pine nuts in this pesto – don't know about where you are but pine nuts are outrageously expensive here and besides, walnuts have fantastic taste and are bursting with nutrients. Very cool Charles!
Thanks Kelly – Pine nuts are horribly expensive here too (I'm in France) and walnuts are delicious – I had a minor addiction to them when I was about 12 years old 😀 – Hope you have a chance to try some carrot greens, next on my "never tried before, but will try now" list is red beet stalks!
What a clever (and much cheaper) alternative to basil pesto! I've never thought of such a thing. I hate being wasteful, and completely agree about carrots with the greens attached being much more flavorful. Great post, Charles!
Thanks Caroline – I'm going to try Greg's suggestion next of arugula pesto – that sounds really nice too! Have a good day 🙂
What an awesome way to use up the carrot tops!! The pesto looks delicious and so does the pasta…. You have a great blog too
Thanks a lot Malli! It was really tasty – a nice change to basil pesto (although I *love* that too!). Hope you have a chance to try it sometime! Have a great day 🙂
Wow! Would have never thought of using the carrot greens…love to buy the carrots with there leaves attached…they look so pretty…thanks for the brilliant idea…love your space – will be back for more…need to get dinner on the table now 🙂
-Shilpa
Thanks Shilpa – they are so pretty when they still have the greens, and so sweet too! I read a very interesting article a while ago about how fresh actually *are* the vegetables which we buy. In some rare cases, certain things like potatoes or carrots may be many weeks, sometimes months old, simply because they last so long and are kept in storage at the distribution centre. If they have the leaves still attached you're guaranteed that they're mere days old, which explains the sweet flavour a lot! Hope you're having a good day 🙂
Hi Charles, thanks for sharing this recipe with us. We finally got to try it this week (we used a mix of 1:1 coriander and carrot greens) and it is simply delicious! In fact I may go and have some now on toast 🙂 Hope you are having a great weekend, best, Rachel & Michelle
Mmm, coriander and carrot greens! I'll have to try that for next time! So glad you liked it – it can be a little fibrous sometimes, but if you're sure to only use the tops of the carrot greens then I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem. Glad you're enjoying it 🙂 Hope you're both having a good weekend!