Culinary Guides

This is a good one to make when company is coming or you have been asked to bring a side to a party. Honey roasted carrots and beets get a bright green sauce made from the carrot tops themselves, so nothing goes to waste. If your carrots come without their leafy tops, just add a little extra parsley.

Ingredients

For the pesto

• 1 cup carrot leaves (from about 1 small bunch of carrots)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup Marcona almonds
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt to taste

For the honey roasted vegetables

• 1 bunch of carrots, tops removed and sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 bunch of beets, tops removed and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup lightly toasted and chopped Marcona almonds for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 425F (220C).
2. Make the pesto: roughly chop the carrot tops and parsley, then add them to a food processor with the almonds and garlic. Process to a paste. With the motor running, pour in the lemon juice and olive oil and process until smooth. Season with salt, using less if your almonds were salted.
3. Toss the carrots and beets with the olive oil and honey and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer.
4. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, tossing halfway, until the vegetables are fork tender and lightly browned.
5. While they roast, toast the Marcona almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes, then chop.
6. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a platter, spoon the carrot top pesto generously over the top, and scatter with the toasted almonds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The pesto keeps 3 days in the fridge, and the vegetables can be roasted a day ahead and reheated before serving. If you cannot find Marcona almonds, regular almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts all work.

Grower's tip: Do not toss those carrot tops. Grow carrots you can harvest whole, greens and all, since the fresh leaves make the pesto. Pull your beets while they are between golf ball and tennis ball size, before they get big and woody, for the sweetest roots.

Grow the whole plate at home. A row of carrots gives you roots and pesto greens both, a patch of beets rounds out the pan, and some parsley fills out the sauce.