This is simple side dish that can be made with almost any seasonal vegetable, anytime of year. This week we’re using small heirloom carrots and whipped up a 4 ingredient carrot top pesto to go with it. I was told that carrot tops were poisonous when I was a kid-weird, huh? Was anyone else told that? Well I ate this pesto and lived to write about it! These carrots are delicious served cold on salads or tossed into pasta!
For the roasted carrots:
1 bunch heirloom carrots
2 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the carrot tops, but leave a little bit of the stem if you like.
Toss the carrots in oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray so there is space between the carrots and roast uncovered for 15 minutes, or until tender (depending on the size of the carrot). About half way through the roasting process, give the tray and shake to turn the carrots and rotate the tray in the oven to ensure even roasting. They should be nicely browned. I like them to have a little tooth when I take them out of the oven because they will continue to cook as they are cooling and will get a little softer
For the carrot top pesto:
2 cups carrot tops, cleaned
4 Tablespoons olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (soaked for one hour if possible, but if not, well…don’t worry about it!)
Puree the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
To serve, arrange the carrots on a bed of the pesto. I garnished here with chopped red pepper and sesame seeds.
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