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Carrot-top pesto

You will no doubt be familiar with classic pesto. Here is an alternative, zero-waste version using carrot tops for a surprising pesto, full of fresh flavour.

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Last modified on: September 16^th 2020

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For 800 g, you will need:

1 100 ml whole almonds
2 200 ml turnip (or other vegetable) tops
3 2 lemons
4 6 ml vitamin C (optional)
5 6 tablespoons olive oil
6 100 ml Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
7 olive oil
8 salt
9 pepper

Change these quantities to make: 200 g 400 g 800 g 1 kg 200 g

Change measures: Metric

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How long will it take?

Time required for this recipe:

Preparation	Cooking	Start to finish
11 min.	5 min.	16 min.

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Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 5 min.

Put 100 ml whole almonds into a small frying pan on medium heat. Toast until just lightly coloured (stir round frequently).

Leave to cool then chop coarsely.

Stage 2

Save 200 ml turnip (or other vegetable) tops (carrot tops here). The weight is simply for guidance, so let's just say the tops from a normal bunch of carrots.

Stage 3 - 5 min.

Wash the leaves, cut off the stalks , then drain and dry them in a tea towel or salad spinner.

Stage 4 - 2 min.

Put the leaves in a high-sided container.

Add the juice and zest of 2 lemons, 6 ml vitamin C and 6 tablespoons olive oil.

Stage 5 - 2 min.

Blend a first time.

Stage 6 - 2 min.

Add 100 ml Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), the almonds, salt and pepper, then blend again.

Add a little more olive oil while still blending (have someone to help if possible), until the mixture is smooth.

Stage 7

Your carrot-top pesto is ready.

Remarks

You can make different version of this recipe with whatever vegetable tops you have to hand (e.g. radish or turnip), or different nuts (e.g. hazelnuts). Let your imagination lead you.

Keeping

A few days in the fridge in a sealed bottle.

Source

Based on a recipe by chef Angèle Ferreux-Maeght.

Nutritional information

Whole recipe
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
1,941 Kcal or 8,127 Kj	63 gr	42 gr	169 gr
97 %	24 %	4 %	26 %

Per 100 g
Energetic value	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
204 Kcal or 854 Kj	7 gr	4 gr	18 gr
10 %	3 %	<1 %	3 %

% are calculated relative to a Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI of 2000 k-calories or 8400 k-joules by day for a woman (change to a man).

Possible allergens in this recipe: Nuts, Milk

How much will it cost?

For 800 g : 4.26 €

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Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.

This recipe uses (among others)

	Turnip (or other vegetable) tops: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: "Au vert" beef, Gratin of beet tops and potatoes, Tenderloin steak with beetroot tops and mushrooms, Turnip top soup, The strange gratin, ... All
	Whole almonds: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Praline, Chocolate Truffles, Toasted almond cake, Moist cereal bars, X-Files cookies, ... All
	Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano): You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Spaghetti Carbonara, Eggs with green asparagus and Parmesan cheese, Green asparagus omelette, Nanou's red cabbage salad, Gnocchi alla romana, ... All
	Olive oil: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Red rice pannequets, Beurre d'escargot, Cretan salad, Couscous, Caesar salad, ... All