Roasted Dutch Carrots with Carrot Top Pesto
Sweet roasted Dutch carrots topped with a punchy carrot top pesto. It's a simple, flavour packed way to use the whole vegetable.
Ingredients
Roasted Carrots
- 2 bunches Dutch carrots about 500–600 g, scrubbed, peeled, with leafy tops reserved
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 5 whole garlic cloves peeled
- ½ tsp thyme leaves or a few sprigs fresh thyme
Carrot Top Pesto
- 1 packed cup leafy carrot tops tough stems removed
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ tsp salt
To Finish
- Extra toasted pine nuts
Instructions
Roast the carrots
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Trim the carrot tops, leaving about 2 cm attached to the carrots. Reserve the remaining leafy tops for the pesto.
- Place the carrots on a lined baking tray with the whole garlic cloves and thyme.
- Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup, then season with salt and pepper.
- Toss gently to coat and roast for 20–30 minutes, until tender and lightly caramelised.
Make the carrot top pesto
- Wash and dry the carrot tops well.
- Add the pine nuts, garlic and salt to a food processor.
- Pulse until roughly chopped.
- Add the carrot tops, lemon juice and olive oil, then blend until a loose pesto forms.
Assemble
- Arrange the roasted carrots on a serving plate.
- Spoon the carrot top pesto over the carrots.
- Finish with extra toasted pine nuts.
