We all have seen rabbits consuming carrot greens. But did you ever thought of eating that carrot top? Actually you can and that too in the form of the very popular pesto sauce. The whole idea is to waste as less amount of food as possible. If we look into the recent trends, people and chefs around the world are talking much about zero-waste cooking. Restaurants around the world waste several million tons of food every year. Even in every household, we cut off almost half of a vegetable we buy. Hence, zero-waste cooking is something that the world is looking up to. It is all about cooking every part of an ingredient, especially vegetables, we buy from the market. Add on point to it is the taste; most of us are unaware of the good taste and nutritional value of the veggie parts we throw in the dustbin.
Let's talk about carrot greens. They are herbaceous and coarse, with a hint of sweetness in them and tastes somewhat like celery. It is said that carrot tops have similar nutritional profile to their roots, providing minerals and vitamins. Carrot leaves are considered as natural detoxifier, promotes bone strengthening, prevents anemia et al.
So here we bring you the recipe of carrot green pesto that can be enjoyed as dip or spread with different kind of breads like focaccia, ciabatta or pita. One can also prepare pasta with carrot green pesto sauce.
Carrot Green Pesto Recipe:
Ingredients:
Carrot tops: 1 kg
Garlic: 2-3 clove
Lemon juice: 2 tbsp
Basil leaves: half cup
Pine nuts: 3 tbsp
Olive oil: 3 tbsp
Parmesan cheese: half cup (grated)
Salt: as per taste
Pepper: as per taste
Preparation:
Blanch the carrot tops: remove the very thick stems. Boil a pot of water and add carrot tops. Cook for about three minutes and stir occasionally. Once the green gets tender, drain the hot water and put the greens in an ice cube bowl. This helps in retaining the colour of a vegetable.
Now, take the greens out and spread them on a plate and let them dry.
Add the greens, garlic, pine nuts, basil leaves in a mixer grinder and make a chunky, coarse paste.
Season the paste with salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan. Your carrot top pesto is ready to be served.
Remember, you can store the pesto in fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Now, try not to throw the carrot tops, instead make a delicacy out of it.