Grilled Carrots with Carrot Greens Pesto
If this picture looks familiar, it’s because I just posted it when I posted the Braised Potatoes recipe. Someone commented on the carrots, so I thought I should get that recipe posted soon and this is the only picture that I took of the meal. This is from Easter a few years ago, and the carrots were the only thing that made it seems Easter-y.
This carrot dish is really cool because you use the carrot greens for the pesto, so there’s very little waste. I made this recipe when I got carrots from a farmer’s market, but you can often find carrots with the tops at the grocery store too.
Obviously, it’s not grilling season in Ohio anymore, but you could prepare these on the stovetop and would probably get pretty good results if you use a grill pan or cast iron skillet (and if you don’t have a cast iron skillet, buy one immediately – I recommend a 10 or 12 inch skillet, depending on how many you cook for – we use both sizes regularly).
Grilled Carrots with Carrot Greens Pesto
Recipe Type: sides
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 bunch carrots with greens attached
- 1 large clove garlic
- about 1/2 cup and 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup pine nuts (optional, but recommended)
- 1/4 cup parmesean cheese or parm-romano blend
- Favorite spices – I used a chipotle blend, to taste
Instructions
- Snip the carrots from the greens leaving about 1/2-1 inch of the stem on the root. Set carrots aside.
- Remove any long stems and wilted leaves from the leafy greens. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil the greens for about 1 minute. Drain for 5 minutes.
- Coarsely chop the garlic clove and the greens, and transfer to a food processor as well as salt, pepper, the 1/2 cup of olive oil and pine nuts and cheese. Pulse for a few seconds, stopping to scrape down mixture with a spatula as needed, until well blended. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper and other spices, as desired.
- Cut carrots lengthwise so that they’re about equal in size and thickness. Drizzle with olive oil just to coat and season with salt and pepper. Grill carrots on a grill heated to medium-high (or cook on cast-ron pan on stovetop). Let cook for 1-2 minutes, or until charred marks form on the underside, and flip. Cook another 2-3 minutes, turning occasionally, until each side is slightly charred and remove from heat. Serve with the pesto.