Carrot-top Pesto

Here’s a recipe for you in the name of reducing food waste: Carrot-top pesto! I make this one every time I buy carrots from the farmers' market. It makes enough to last a week.
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Carrot tops are so green and nutritious, you can't possibly waste them. Also, making sauces from scratch leads to particularly fresh, delicious meals, and this one gives you a great excuse to eat pasta! Root-to-stem cooking is the way forward.⠀
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The leafy sprigs at the top of carrots are similar to parsley and can be used in any way that you would use a more traditional herb (though they have a milder taste to combining them with other herbs is usually the best way to turn them into pesto). ⠀

This recipe involves blanching the carrot tops because you can pack more of them in. You can also use more of the stem if it’s been blanched, and the pesto is better prepared for freezing.

MAKES: 1 medium jar

TOTAL TIME: 10 minutes

SEASON: Summer to Winter (carrots are harvested all year round in the UK)
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INGREDIENTS:⠀

2 cups carrot tops, chopped (from about 8 medium carrots)⠀

1/2 cup pine nuts (or other nuts like walnuts or cashews)⠀

2 garlic cloves⠀

1/2 cup quality extra virgin olive oil⠀

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (or 1 cup nutritional yeast if making a dairy-free version)⠀

Salt and pepper⠀
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INSTRUCTIONS:⠀

1. To blanch the carrot tops: wash them thoroughly and remove thick stem pieces. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the carrot tops to the pot and cook for about 3 minutes or until bright green and tender. Immediately remove from the pot and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.⠀

2. Drain the carrot tops, wring out excess liquid, and add to a food processor. ⠀

3. Add the pine nuts, oil, and rest of the ingredients to the processor and pulse to your preferred consistency, adding more oil if necessary.