Recipe: Carrot Top Pesto
As part of our Open Sauce project, we’re bringing you the best of our Cooler Than Compost recipes, simple ways to create tasty treats out of offcuts and scraps of food that would usually end up in the bin. This is a great way to use up the green part of your carrots, and any soft herbs you have in the fridge or garden.
Time: less than 10 minutes
Ingredients:
– 150g carrot tops (approximately) washed and roughly chopped
– 3 TBSP pine nuts (or other nuts such as almonds or walnuts)
– Handful of herbs such as parsley, coriander or basil (optional)
– Juice of 1 lemon
– 1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
– 3 TBSP parmesan cheese grated
– 1/2 cup olive oil (adjusted to personal preference for thickness)
Equipment :
– Food processor
Method:
Toast the nuts in a dry pan until they turn golden, taking care not to let them burn. Let them cool down.
Pulse the carrot tops and herbs (if using) in a food processor until smooth.
Add lemon juice and garlic, and pulse for a few seconds.
Add the Parmesan and pulse a few times gradually adding olive oil until it's the texture and consistency you'd like.
Season to taste and stir through.
You're done. Use the pesto anywhere you'd use regular pesto. It makes a great addition to sandwiches, pasta dishes, or as a dip. It can be stored in an airtight container refrigerated for up to a week. Enjoy!
