Carrot Top Pesto
Building on a classic pesto base, Carrot Top Pesto is made using a combination of carrot greens and fresh basil, walnuts, parmesan cheese, lemon, olive oil, and garlic. Carrot Top Pesto is not only delicious but also helps reduce food waste by utilizing an often discarded component of the carrot: its greens.
Servings 1.5 cups
Equipment
- Cheese grater
- High speed blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 60 grams fresh basil leaves
- 50 grams carrot greens
- 55 grams grated parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 3 large garlic cloves
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Fresh black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Thoroughly rinse and clean the carrot greens, removing any dirt, debris, or discoloured leaves. Roughly chop the greens, then transfer them into the pot of boiling water. Blanch the carrot greens for one and a half minutes. In the last 30 seconds, add the basil leaves to the water.
- Strain the blanched greens, and run them under cold water. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cold water and a handful of ice cubes. This step will stop the cooking process.
- Add the walnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and fresh black pepper to a food processor or high-speed blender. Strain the carrot greens and basil from the ice bath, then give the greens a good squeeze to remove excess water. Add these to the food processor as well.
- Pulse the ingredients a few times, scraping down the sides as necessary. Pour in the olive oil and continue to pulse until you have achieved a smooth consistency. The pesto will not be completely smooth in texture; you just want to make sure there are no large chunks.