Grilled Carrots with Carrot Green "Salsa Verde"

Today Frances, my tiny perfect best pal (aka 1 year old daughter), and I pulled a few misshapen but perfectly beautiful carrots from the garden. The greens were lush and the carrots were fat and stubby. I didn’t want to waste one bit so here’s a recipe for using it all! You can buy great carrots with the greens on at the grocery store but if you find them at the farmers market that’s even better. There’s no need to peel fresh carrots, just scrub them clean. Carrot greens are herby and slightly acidic tasting and I love them chopped up in salads or blended in a sauce like this!

yield : 3-4 servings 

prep : 30 minutes

1lb Bunch Carrots with Greens 
1 ½ cups Carrot Greens, rough chopped
¼ cup Olive Oil, plus more for cooking carrots
3 Tbsp Lime Juice
1 small Shallot, sliced
1 small Garlic Clove, rough chopped
2 Tbsp Pickled Jalapeños, rough chopped
1 tsp Pickled Jalapeño juice
¼ cup Cilantro, rough chopped
3 Tbsp Mint, rough chopped 
2 Tbsp Cold Water
Salt and pepper to taste 
Handful of freshly grated parmesan to garnish 

Remove greens from carrots. Scrub carrots clean and rinse greens, shaking off excess water. Set carrots aside for now. 

Place a sauté pan over medium heat. Add measured olive oil, sliced shallots and garlic. Sweat for 3 minutes. Add rough chopped carrot greens and cook for another minute, until just wilted. Transfer all the ingredients, including the oil, to a food processor and let it cool off for 5 minutes. 

While greens cool - Preheat grill or grill pan to medium high heat.

Slice carrots in half lengthwise, quartering any carrots thicker than an inch. Toss in a small amount of oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until tender, turning regularly. 

While carrots grill – add lime juice, pickled jalapeños, pickle liquid, cilantro, mint, cold water, a good pinch of salt and a few cracks of fresh black pepper to the food processor. Buzz until smooth. The sauce will be chunky but you want it well incorporated and bright green. Taste for seasoning and salt a bit more if necessary. 

To plate spread a healthy spoonful of the salsa verde on the bottom, pile cooked carrots over the top and sprinkle with cheese. 

I ate the extra salsa verde with a piece of halibut and it was unreal.