Why I’ll Never Throw Away Carrot Tops Again
Whether you want to cook something quickly for yourself or unexpectedly have guests over for dinner, pesto is the perfect solution. Everyone knows the classic pesto made with basil (a tasty tip: pesto eggs!). But we also love sage and walnut pesto, spinach pesto, lemon pesto, kale pesto, pistachio pesto and pesto made from… carrot tops! Throwing away those greens is such a waste!
33% of all the food produced worldwide is thrown away. That can—no, wait: that has to change. At home and in the hospitality industry. Low-waste menus were therefore one of the food trends of 2024. And that trend can easily carry into the future. With a little creativity and a whole lot of goodwill, you can do so much more with meat, fish, poultry and vegetables. Such as using your carrot tops to make pesto.
Freestyling
I think cooking is all about freestyling. That’s why I’m also so bad at making cakes and other baked goods, where freestyling results in the biggest baking disasters. There, the rule is: weigh everything carefully and don’t think that a little more of this or a bit extra of that will improve your bake. With pesto, you can. If you love a very cheesy pesto, feel free to add more Parmesan or Pecorino. Do you find pine nuts too expensive or suffer from pine mouth syndrome? Then add cheaper ingredients. Replacing your basil with carrot tops is also a particularly good idea.
How to Make Pesto from Carrot Tops
Not throwing away your carrot tops but turning them into pesto feels like a real revelation to me. This idea didn’t come from me, though, because I’m not that clever. It’s an idea from chef Brandon Collins, whom I recently met at a trend day hosted by Unilever. Since he advises chefs, his recipe and the accompanying ingredients take a scale into account so everything can be weighed precisely. I don’t do that, but if you want to be exact, follow the measured portions. He uses avocado for extra creaminess; you first need to blanch the vegetables.
You Can Learn to Blanch
Bring a pan with a layer of water to the boil (about 10 cm is enough) and season with a very small amount of salt. Set out a bowl with a sieve in it and grab kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon. Lower the spinach into the water by the handful until it wilts. Be careful, this happens very quickly. Within a few seconds, it will have reduced to a perfect portion. Scoop out the spinach and let it drain in the sieve. Do the same with the carrot tops.
Put the blanched vegetables together with the other ingredients in a food processor and blend until the pesto has the right consistency. Taste and, if necessary, season with extra salt and pepper or extra lemon zest. What else is delicious? Add a little fresh mint and some pistachios. Then enjoy it on a ciabatta with some melted cheese and tomato tapenade.
Also read:
- Let’s go: there’s a fountain in Italy that dispenses free red wine
- This pizzeria in Italy has sushi pizza on the menu
- Fill the glasses again: tasting wine makes you smarter
