Don't Throw Away Your Carrot Tops

Last weekend I watched a market vendor cut the greens from a bunch of carrots and throw them into a large bin before handing the orange roots to a customer.

"What do you do with the greens?" I asked as I paid her for my own bunch.

"Feed 'em to the rabbits," she said.

"You don't cook with them?"

"We never have," she said. "The greens are chewy, and they taste like...carrots."

Intrigued, I kept my greens and asked her for extra from her rabbit bin.

"Knock yourself out," she said. "and let me know what you come up with."

I tasted a stalk and agreed that they are indeed chewy. And the greens do taste like carrots, but the texture and small leaves also remind me of parsley. Surely there's a meal that can utilize this forgotten part of one of America's most common vegetables.

As I thought of the foods most commonly paired with carrots - celery and onion in soups, cabbage in coleslaw, nuts and cream cheese in carrot cake, etc. - I recalled market director Erin Kaufman's recent note about pesto in her weekly email:

The word pesto originates from the Italian word ""pestare", which means to pound.  Pesto is just an adjective that means "pounded".  When we think of pesto, basil immediately comes to mind, since it is common and delicious sauce for pasta, potatoes, etc.  This week, after an illuminating conversation with Phoebe from Scratch (and a piece of pie that included radish top pesto), I was reminded that you can make pesto out of all kinds of things.  And right now, the Market is bursting at the seams with green things that you can pound up into a delicious paste that you can add to all kinds of dishes.
I'd seen pesto recipes that called for parsley to compliment basil and arugula. Since pesto is a good way to break down large quantities of greens and herbs into small but potent servings, why wouldn't it work with carrot greens?

It felt like a proud moment of culinary trail blazing (though I'm far from the first person to make carrot green pesto), and the result works great on sandwiches (especially leftover turkey sandwiches...), sitting on the surface of a bowl of soup, and even tossed with roasted potatoes.

Carrot Green Pesto

2 large handfuls carrot greens, stems removed

2 garlic cloves

1 small handful roasted almonds

15 basil leaves 

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil, depending on desired taste and thickness

1 handful Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1. Combine the carrot greens, basil, garlic and almonds in a mortar and pestle or food processor.

2. As you mix, pound or pulse the ingredients into a paste, slowly add the olive oil until you reach the desired thickness.

3. Add the cheese, salt and pepper and serve. 

**Note: to thin pesto, add additional oil. To thicken it, add cheese.