Make double the meals with just one ingredient: the mighty carrot! Carrots are not only healthy, but they are one of the most versatile vegetables you can use in your recipes. On this episode of In The Know: Zero Waste Kitchen, chef Adriana Urbina (@adrianaurbinap) pulls a rabbit out of her chef’s hat by showing us how to turn carrots and their stems into a delicious carrot socca and gazpacho with basil-carrot top pesto! Note: for this recipe, you will need to buy carrots with their stems still attached!
Ingredients
Carrot Socca
- 5 oz. chickpea flour
- 1 cup almond milk, or milk of your choice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, shredded
- 1 tbsp ghee, or coconut oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Basil-Carrot Top Pesto
- 1 cup loose fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup loose carrot top fronds, stemmed
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- 3 tbsp raw almonds (use less for a more liquid pesto)
- Juice of 1/2 large lemon
- 1/4 cup roasted walnut oil, or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
Pea Gazpacho
- 1 tbsp light olive oil
- 3 cups fresh young green peas, shelled
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 3 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Fresh mint, edible flowers or pea shoots, for garnish
Instructions
Carrot Socca with Poached Egg
- First, make your batter. In a large bowl, sift the chickpea flour and add the shredded carrots. Add the egg, a pinch of salt and the milk, and mix. Set aside.
- In the meantime, make the egg. Crack the egg onto a heated pan with some oil and add salt and pepper. Cover the egg with a lid.
- While the egg cooks, make the socca. Place a large non-stick frying pan on high heat and add a teaspoon of ghee or coconut oil. Add the batter and allow it to cook for 4-5 minutes, until the pancake is set around the edges and starting to brown and crisp. Then, flip the pancake and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Plate the carrot socca and then place your cooked egg on top. Season with some salt and pepper.
Basil-Carrot Top Pesto
- Saute the onions in the olive oil over medium heat for five minutes or until softened but not browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- In a small blender or food processor, combine the basil, carrot tops, garlic, salt, almonds, and lemon juice. Process just until combined, enough for the herbs to be chopped.
- Add the cooled cooked onions and blend again until combined.
Pea Gazpacho
- Place the cucumbers, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, yogurt, peas, vegetable stock, and half of your fresh mint and herbs and blend until very smooth.
- Pour the gazpacho into a container and chill it in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Once the gazpacho has cooled, pour it into a bowl and top with the basil-carrot top pesto, some salt and pepper, oil, and fresh herbs.
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