Carrot Top Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of carrot tops, picked and washed
• 1/2 cup of nuts (you choose, pine nuts are a classic, walnuts also work well
• Olive oil
• Some hard cheese, grated (parmesan is traditional, but you can use others too)
• Any other fresh herbs you have lying around and want to use up
• Seasoning

Method:

1. Toast the nuts lightly, in the oven or in a dry pan.
2. Depending how powerful your blender is, cut the carrot tops and nuts a bit.
3. Blend everything together with enough oil to make the consistency you like.
4. Season to taste and enjoy with pasta, sandwiches, wraps, crudites etc.

Carrot Top Curry

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• 1 bunch of carrot tops, picked, boiled for a few minutes and rinsed
• 3 potatoes, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• Vegetable stock (500 ml)
• Oil (1 tbsp) and butter/ghee (1tsp)
• Spices: cumin seeds (1/2 tsp), fresh ginger (1.5cm), 1 dried chilli, garam masala (1 heaped tsp), turmeric (1/2 tsp), 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper

Method:

1. Heat oil and butter in a pan, when hot fry cumin seeds until fragrant.
2. Add onion and cook for few minutes before adding the spices.
3. Then add the potatoes and cook until slightly coloured.
4. Add the tomato and carrot greens and fry.
5. Add enough vegetable stock to cover and cook (adding more stock/water if needed) until potatoes are cooked and you like the liquidity.

Carrot Top...Wait!

This one must have slipped in from Google Images by accident. These are people, and you should definitely not chop them up and cook them.

Instead, treat them like you would people with any other colour of hair, skin, fingernails, socks and so on.

Carrot Top Burger

Ingredients: (makes 6)

• 1 bunch of carrot tops, picked, washed and chopped
• 200g tin of chickpeas
• 4 carrots, grated finely
• 65g fine breadcrumbs, plus extra for coating
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 onion and 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Seasoning (1/2 tsp cumin seeds, salt, pepper, 1/2 lemon)

Method:

1. Boil the carrot tops for a few minutes with salt, then let drain and squeeze all the water out.
2. Saute cumin seeds, onion and carrot for a few minutes, then add garlic, salt and pepper.
3. Put into food processor with the carrot tops, drained chickpeas, breadcrumbs, egg and lemon juice.
4. Blend until it holds together but isn't completely smooth and check seasoning.
5. Shape into burgers, coat with breadcrumbs if you want, and cook in a pan for 8 minutes each side.