Beets, carrots, radishes and turnips. What they all have in common aside from growing under the soil is that they all produce incredibly delicious greens that can be used in a variety of dishes. The other thing they have in common is that most people tend to cut off these beautiful leafy greens and throw them away as an afterthought. Yes, the vegetable growing on the end tends to be the primary ingredient, however you’re really doing yourself a disservice by not enjoying the whole plant.
I was fortunate enough to have a friend bring me over some gorgeous produce from his brothers farm in Northern Arizona, Coffee Pot Farms, located in Dilkon. I was not previously aware of this farm as i don’t live nearby, but my sample of produce has now put them on my map! Their mission is to provide affordable and sustainable agriculture to an undeserved community on the Navajo Nation. I was given a sample of heirloom tomatoes of all varieties, several kinds of bell peppers, green onions, an assortment of peppers and these absolutely beautiful carrots. The carrots I simply roasted at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes with nothing but a little olive oil and salt, and they were delicious, but the carrot tops were the real star. I’ve made carrot top pesto several times in the past, but this time I utilized what I had to work with in the house as a late day trip to the grocery store was something I wanted to avoid. Using pecans which I had over the traditional pine nuts or pistachio which I typically love in my pesto, I proceeded to concoct this flavorful and rich pesto that will be in the rotation going forward.
I threw together fresh homemade Spaghetti noodles in about an hour utilizing my Kitchenaid Pasta Press, but don’t feel obligated to be so daring. This pesto is the real star, and a box of store-bought pasta will absolutely suffice. Should you want to make your pasta by hand, try my easy pasta dough recipe utilizing a food processor, a little elbow grease and about 30 minutes of cutting those little noodles as they’re pressed through the attachment. The best part about making a pesto is that if you go into it with the mindset that substitutions are absolutely ok and even encouraged, the end result can be a totally unexpected surprise that you’ll make in place of a standard recipe going forward. If you don’t have pecans for this, use what you do have. Almonds, pistachios, or even peanuts can produce great flavors. If you don’t have a jalapeno, leave it out and replace with some crushed red pepper for a little heat. The pesto world has evolved, and you’re allowed to make it your own, so I encourage you to do so and don’t let the lack of an ingredient prevent you from being daring. But, if you do happen to have these ingredients available, make yourself this delicious pecan and carrot top pesto and you’ll be thankful you did!
Pecan and Carrot Top Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrot top greens
- 1/2 cup basil fresh with stems removed
- 1 small jalapeno stemmed, seeded and chopped
- 1 lemon use the zest and juice of 1 whole lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup parmesan
- 3/4 cup pecans
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients above (except for the olive oil) in a blender or food and process until thick a paste forms. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until well combined, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.
If adding to pasta:
- For pasta – if using store-bought, follow instructions on box to cook. If using handmade (see my recipe for simple pasta dough here), cook in boiling water until al dente or to your liking. Then drain noodles, reserving about a cup of pasta water, and add the noodles to a pan of 2 tbsp of melted butter over medium heat, stirring to coat the noodles. Add the reserved cup of pasta water and coat. Add the pesto to the noodles and stir. Plate, and top with some grated parmesan.
