When buying carrots at the store, more often than not, their bright green leafy tops have been trimmed off already and probably discarded. In an effort to reduce food waste, the chefs at Season created a recipe that uses our favorite orange vegetable from top to bottom.
The tops of carrots look like large dill leaves and taste a bit like parsley. They should be cleaned very thoroughly before eating and can be used raw in salads or smoothies, sautéed with some olive oil until softened, or, our favorite – buzzed up in a food processor for a variation on traditional basil pesto.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Carrot Tops
- 1 Garlic Clove
- .25 cup Walnuts
- .25 cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
- .33 – .5 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt + Black Pepper as desired
Instructions
Time needed: 10 minutes.
- Prepare Ingredients
Trim carrot tops from carrots and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Roughly chop enough to yield 3 cups. Roughly chop garlic. Roughly chop walnuts.
- Prepare Pesto
In a blender or food processor, pulse together carrot tops with garlic and walnuts until finely chopped
- Finish Pesto
While motor is running, stream in .33 – .5 cup olive oil until pesto is smooth and everything is fully combined. Add Pecorino Romano and pulse until just combined. Taste and add salt and black pepper as desired.