Sautéed Carrots With Carrot Top Pesto

Sautéed Carrots With Carrot Top Pesto

This recipe comes from our amazing Americorps Intern, Mary Ann Maestas, as part of our Market Fresh Cooking program at the Market!

Adapted from recipes by La Familia and Don’t Waste the Crumbs.

The Recipe

Yield: four to five sides

Ingredients

• 2 bunches of carrots (keep the carrot tops)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups rinsed carrot tops (remove the longer tough stems)
• 1⁄2 cup fresh basil
• 1/3 cup walnuts or pine nuts or pecans
• 1 clove garlic
• 3⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2 tsp salt
• 1⁄4 tsp black pepper

PREPARATION

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots. Sauté until carrots soften and start to carmelize.
2. In a food processor, pulse nuts and garlic. Add carrot tops, basil, parmesan, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in olive oil as processor is running until pesto is smooth and consistent, scraping down the sides as necessary. Process until combined.
3. Top the carrots with a drizzle of the carrot top pesto and voile you used the entire carrot in this tasty side dish! You can also chop the carrots after cooking to make it easier and reduce prep time.

This locally inspired recipe is brought to you by Pam Walker. Pam is an avid home cook, writer, and local farm and food activist who is also a board member of the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Institute. Thank you, Pam, for helping inspire us to use locally sourced ingredients!