Sweet, tender carrots topped with zesty, green carrot-top pesto make a wonderful side-dish, addition to any potluck or light meal. A less-waste dish that is full of flavor. Serve over some creamy polenta or homemade hummus. Best enjoyed lukewarm, which makes it a wonderful make-ahead dish, that happily sits in the oven while you spend time with your loved ones.
Making less waste – one recipe at a time
Food waste is a major player when it comes to climate change. According to a UN 2021 study, 8-10% of the greenhouse gases we humans create each year are caused by food not being eaten. That is about the same amount the global tourism industry produces each year. Isn’t that insane? This is a worldwide problem. However, we Europeans are keyplayers in the matter, as we produce significantly higher greenhouse gases through food waste than people living in South/Southeast Asia, for example. To be specific: 10-times as much food ends up in our landfills. And to blow your mind even further, we European consumers waste as much food every year as the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa market produces! And this is not food wasted in the production chain. It is us consumers who are responsible.
We expect food to be available at all times. The shear abundance of produce in the supermarkets has led us to believe that we can have anything, at any time. We buy more than we can eat, buying into consumerism, media and marketing. And through letting food go to waste each and every one of us produces an estimated 173kg of food waste. That’s the weight of 2 grown-up man. Resulting in 170 000 000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. Emissions that can be easily be reduced by simply managing our households better.
Why am I telling you this?
In a world where we’re used to take the car to work or fly 3.000 plus kilometers to reach our summer holiday destination, it is actually a lot easier than you think to reduce your personal carbon footprint. All you have to do is to start thinking before you buy and find ways to use all of the food that is available to us. Like in this case, the precious green parts of the young, seasonal carrots that are being pulled out of the earth by our local farmers. Instead of adding them to a pile of trash, use them to brighten up this dish and bring you joy through their luscious color and delicious taste.
How to make this recipe
A recipe so modest like the humble carrot itself. Most ingredients should be found in your pantry: high-quality olive-oil (extra-virgin, of course), salt, white-wine vinegar, honey, garlic, a bird-eye or other small chili or dried chili flakes, if you like. And nuts, of course, because a pesto without nuts is like peanut butter without jelly: it’s edible but it’s divine only in combination.
The only „fancy“ ingredient in this recipe is sumac. And I don’t fret if you haven’t heard of this spice until now. The deep red powder is made out of roasted sumac berries, which are grown in the mediterranean areas of Sicily, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. Making it a staple ingredient in the middle eastern cuisine and I’m sure, soon a staple in your kitchen as well. It’s lightly sour, fruity taste elevates the simple carrot and add depths to this otherwise straightforward meal.
The preparation of these sumac roasted carrots is effortless as well. The carrot roots go into the oven while you’ve got your hands free to prepare the pesto and, if you like, hummus or creamy polenta to go with them. This is optional and you might choose to eat them just as they are, serve them with an array of dishes at a potluck or next to grilled tofu. This one is my favorite at the moment. If you do serve them without carbs make sure to double the recipe. Should there be leftovers, you can add them to your salad or wrap the next day.
Ok, loves! It’s time to let you go & leave you with the recipe.
And, as always, If you give it a try, make sure to leave a comment and/or 5-star rating and tag me on your creations @themellowkitchn over on Instagram. I absolutely love reading from you
Lot’s of love!
Anna
Sumac Roasted Carrots with Carrot-top pesto
Sweet & tender roasted carrots topped with a vibrant, zingy carrot-top pesto. A less-waste meal, best enjoyed lukewarm served over creamy polenta or hummus.
Ingredients
For roasted carrots
- 400g (organic) carrots with greens*
- 3 tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 2 tsp ground sumac (read blog post, if unsure)
- 2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp raw honey
For carrot-top pesto
- 100g carrot greens (see notes for substitutes)
- 2 cloves garlic
- Juice & zest of 1 organic lemon
- 1 small bird-eye chili
- 1 tsp coarse salt
- 100ml olive oil
- 75ml hazelnut oil (or more olive oil)
- 2 tbsp yeast flakes
- 50g mixed deskinned, roasted hazelnuts & de-shelled pistachios
For Serving (optional)
- Additional hazelnuts and pistachios
- (vegan) feta
Instructions
Prepare roasted carrots
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C
- Chop off carrot tops about 5-6cm above each carrot
- Wash thoroughly (only peel if really necessary) and cut lengthwise if their diameter exceeds 1cm
- Place in a baking dish** and season with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and sumac.
- Mix through using your hands or two serving spoons
- Bake for 35 mins or until crispy browned and tender inside
- Meanwhile pour 2 tbsp olive oil with vinegar and honey into a small jar with screw-on lid. Shake well & set aside
- Wash carrot-top greens and spin dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with a clean kitchen towel
- If using a blender or kitchen machine place, place all ingredients in the blender and blend on high for 60-90 seconds or until desired consistency has been achieved
- If using a pestle & mortar, finely chop greens, chili and garlic. Roughly chop nuts. Place in the pestle with 1/3 of the olive oil and crush until the ingredients until a smooth paste is beginning to form. Add remaining olive oil and continue grinding until you have homogeneous paste.
- Set aside until serving
- Cook polenta or prepare hummus, if you like
- Once the carrots are tender take out of the oven and immediately pour vinegar/oil mixture over them. Let sit for 2 minutes
- Serve in baking dish topped with pesto, additional nuts and crumbled (vegan) feta, if you like. Or pour polenta or hummus onto serving platter or plates and top with roasted carrots, pesto, nuts and optional (vegan) feta cheese.
- Can be eaten hot, lukewarm or at room-temperature
Prepare pesto
Serve
Notes
* If you're unable to find carrots with the greens, you can use parsley or fennel tops instead of the carrot-tops for the pesto
** Use a metal, enamel or glas dish - do not use a cast iron pan, as the vinegar will damage the seasoning of the pan
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