carrot soup with carrot top and walnut pesto
I came home from a 2-week-long vacation to a freezer full of food. Before leaving, I cooked as much as possible to use up all our CSA stuff and froze the leftovers. We missed Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Potential All-Around Shitstorm Irene, but if we had been stuck in the apartment we would’ve eaten quite well (and probably would have cleaned out the liquor cabinet). Sadly, the storm caused horrendous flooding at many local farms, including the one that serves my CSA (Stoneledge Farm). I’m wishing them the best and looking forward to seeing them back up and running next season.
Anyway, this carrot soup is nice and simple, and it’s topped off with a pesto made from the carrots’ greens. It was my take on “root-to-stem” cooking, which I of course appreciate (previously: radishes sauteed with radish greens). I can also say from personal experience that the pesto is a good thing to smear on tomato and cheese sandwiches, stir into salad dressings, and mix into pasta or grain salads.
To make carrot top pesto:
Put carrot tops, whatever other fresh herbs you might have/like (I added parsley and thyme), garlic, toasted walnuts, and salt in a food processor. Press the button. Then drizzle in olive oil while the thing is still running. Add grated Parmigiano cheese (optional).
To make carrot soup:
Cook chopped onion, chopped celery, minced garlic, minced ginger, and a lot of carrots in a bit of oil in a pot until onions are translucent. Pour in enough vegetable or chicken broth to fully submerge the vegetables. Season with salt, pepper, and chopped herbs (I used savory, but sage, thyme, and/or rosemary would’ve been nice too). Cover and simmer until carrots are soft. Puree mixture, then return it to the pot. If it is too thick, add more broth. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in carrot top pesto right before serving.
Bonus point: stick a piece of beer bread cheese toast in the bowl.
