Yields: ¾ cup (6 ounces) | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes
In a good kitchen, nothing goes to waste. The Ballerina Farm greenhouses are currently filled with crisp, sweet carrots, and their tops are an unsung hero. With a peppery, earthy flavor and tender leaves, you can use them in place of almost any herb. Perhaps our favorite use for them is in pesto. The result is a punchy, bright pesto that tastes particularly summery—like biting into a carrot pulled directly from the ground. Use it to dress roasted carrots (or any vegetable), chicken, or fish. At our recent event, Root to Relevé, we used it as a base for freshly-caught local trout served with corn, tomatoes, and zucchini blossoms.
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrot tops, tightly packed, about 1 bunch carrots
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, about ½ lemon
- ⅓ to ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
- Pull off the carrot tops and thoroughly wash them, as sand and silt tend to get stuck in the leaves. Dry the carrot tops. Pull off all of the leaves and tender stems and pack them into a 1 cup measuring cup, discarding any tough stems.
- Add the carrot tops, cashews, garlic, salt, and lemon juice to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped.
- With the food processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil, starting with ⅓ cup and adding more if needed. Blend until smooth.
- Use immediately over roasted carrots and other vegetables, or with chicken or fish. Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
