By Mackenzie Smith

Pesto is my go-to solution for greens that won’t go straight into a salad, so carrot-tops fit the bill here just right. Our CSA box had a big handful of dill last week, so I threw some in at the last minute and learned about what happens when dill, carrot-tops and pecans come together: sweet, sharp and earthy, with a nice tang from the dill.

Swap out parsley for anything else you might have on hand here-- I imagine mint and cilantro would take this paste to a whole new place. If you don’t have a food processor, chopping everything by hand works just fine.

Carrot-top Pesto with Dill & Pecan

• 2 cups carrot-tops, washed, dried and roughly chopped
• ½ cup parsley
• ⅓ cup dill, roughly chopped
• ½ cup pecans, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• A squeeze or two of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Photo by Mackenzie Smith.

Pulse everything but the salt, pepper and lemon juice in a food processor, adding more olive oil as you need to. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Traditional pesto calls for Parmesan, but I never seem to have the right amount when I set out to make pesto. Nuts, herbs, garlic and olive oil and salt are ever-present in my kitchen and I have found that is really all you need to make a flavorful green paste to spread on sandwiches or quesadillas, toss with pasta, roasted vegetables, dip raw veggies, etc.

Photo by Mackenzie Smith.

Last week I enjoyed:

• Sourdough sandwiches with roasted carrots, spinach, sharp cheddar and pesto
• Brown rice with carrot-top pesto, wilted spinach
• Grilled cheese with havarti & pesto
• Fried eggs with pesto toast