Carrot top pesto turned out pretty nice!
Carrot top pesto turned out pretty nice!
2 tbsp walnuts or pistachios (or pine nuts, as traditional pesto directs)
2-3 cups carrot top fronds (I saved the thick stems for stock)
1 large or 2 small clove garlic
juice and zest of 1/2 orange or 1 lemon
2 tbsp shredded/shaved Parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Chop the carrot greens roughly and toss into a food processor along with the nuts.
Peel and roughly chop the garlic and add to the processor with the juice and citrus zest and juice.
Let the machine run for about 30 seconds, then add the Parmesan and start to drizzle in the oil until you get the consistancy you prefer.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon into small containers covered with a tablespoon of olive oil to keep the top of the sauce from air. Will keep in the fridge 3-5 days, or freeze up to a few months, I just smash down the top with a piece of plastic wrap before covering it with a lid and freezing. You could use parchment, too.
I’m going to have some of this on pasta, but pesto is also good on baked potatoes, spread on bread/sandwiches.
No Comments
Leave A Comment
Garlic, olive oil and parmigiano…I’m droolin’!
It’s really good. I’ve only made pesto with basil or arugula before.
Very nice!!! When radishes are in season and if the tops are nice enough. 🙂
I will be looking for the tops of carrots now, to try, probably not until later in the summer though. 🙂
The big bunch of organic carrots w/tops were 99¢ yesterday, so I went for it. The greens are kind of carrot-y if you put them in salad, like I did today. But the flavor is very mild in the pesto.
Possibly add some spice/herbs into the pesto that might pair well and enhance the carrot-y flavour?
I did add some basil that I reconstituted from dry, but like I said, it’s not noticeable and very mild. So it wasn’t a problem. The carrot taste was more prominent in my salad, like I said.
I just used some pesto from THIS BATCH today, it freezes quite beautifully! (yes, cheese and all!) I’ve only successfully frozen pesto without cheese added, and then pulsing some in, as needed.
Mine was stored in a plastic tub (the Ziploc brand with the screw-on lid) with a circle of parchment mashed down over the surface of the sauce, preserved it so well that the flavor was like it was made today.
I simply took the tub out and set it in the fridge a few days ago and it thawed well.
Here’s what I made, if you missed it: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+BobbiJoWoods/posts/9smsNsJdGEa