Small Bowl of Carrot Top Pesto
(click to enlarge)

Carrot Top Pesto


California
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1/2 cup
**
30 min
Yes		 A fine, economical Pesto useable however Pesto Genovese is used. In Italy, Pestos are often made with various Herbs and Nuts, not just Basil and Pine Nuts. See also Comments.

bunch
3
1
1/3
1
1
1/4
1
1/4
1-1/2

T
cl
c
t
T
c
t
t
T
Carrot Tops (1)  
Mint Leaves
Garlic
Scallion (2)
Lemon Zest
Lemon Juice
Walnuts, raw
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil ExtV
Make   -   (30 min)
  1. Remove thick stems from Carrot Tops, keeping side stems and thinner stem at the top end. Chop very coarse.
  2. Remove Mint Leaves from stems. Measure is packed medium firm.
  3. Bring a pan of lightly salted Water to a boil and stir in Carrot Tops. Par boil for 3 minutes. Toss in Mint for the last minute. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Squeeze out excess water and spread on a plate to dry a little.
  4. Crush GARLIC and chop medium. Grate LEMON ZEST and squeeze LEMON JUICE. Chop SCALLION medium. Crush WALNUTS small. Mix all with Salt and Pepper.
  5. In your Mixie, Food Processor, or Blender place Carrot Top mix and Garlic mix. Run to a paste, scraping down the sides as needed. Now, a little at a time, add Olive Oil blending smoothly. Again, you'll have to scrape down the sides a few times.
  6. For Pasta, see Serving. Refrigerated in a sealed container it'll keep for several days, though the color won't be quite so bright.
NOTES:

  1. Carrot Tops:

      If they are fresh and large, tops from one bunch of 5 to 6 medium carrots will make 1/2 cup of this Pesto, or two bunches for 1 cup. A half cup may not seem like a lot, but is actually sufficient for 1 pound of dry pasta. That's 2 T Pesto and 1 T hot Pasta Water for every 4 ounces of dry Pasta. It will also spread a goodly number of canapés as it is quite strongly flavored. If you're a little short on Carrot Tops, you can include a bunch of Parsley Leaves. Pestos are often made with Parsley in Italy.

  2. Scallion:

      Use green only. Measure is for chopped fairly small and moderately packed.

  3. Serving

      Place a heatproof container in the sink under whatever you will strain the Pasta through, or you will forget to reserve some Pasta Water. Strain the Pasta and pour it back into the pot. Spoon in the appropriate amount of Pesto and half that amount of hot pasta water. Stir it up until evenly coated and serve.

  4. Comments:

      Italian Pestos usually include grated Cheese, which would severely offend Vegans. This Pesto can easily stand without it, and providing some grated Parmesan on the side to be sprinkled as desired makes service much more flexible. Since I have a bag sealer, I seal the Pesto in a narrow 2-mil plastic bag with the air squeezed out. I can cut a corner off and use it as a squeeze tube.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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