During quarantine, it’s been a serious challenging to get grocery deliveries. Most places don’t have any openings, or if you do find one, you have to watch the site like a hawk and pray the next delivery will be within a few days. To remove myself a little further from that cycle, I decided to sign up for Imperfect Foods, which is kind of like an online CSA using local and regional farms, and its main goal is to reduce food waste by selling the produce that otherwise would go to waste. They also “upcycle” that food into new snacks. I’ve been wanting to try them and after my aunt recommended it and said they now deliver to our area, I figured now was the time. After waiting 3 weeks, we finally got our first shipment this past Friday. As part of that shipment, there were some carrots that included the carrot tops with them, and determined to reduce our food waste, I set out to make something of them. What I settled on was this Chimichurri sauce, so we could use some of our fresh parsley and other ingredients, plus have a flavorful marinade for a cut of beef we had.
If you’ve never had carrot tops (as I hadn’t), they’re a little grassy and bright. They don’t have the sweetness of the carrot itself, but I could see how some people say they taste a little like carrots. All in all, when the Chimichurri sauce is used as a marinade and cooked with whatever protein (or hey, even veggies) you choose, it gives a really nice herby flavor that mixes things up from the ordinary. While you can eat the sauce raw, I personally prefer it as a marinade instead of a dip or condiment.
Carrot top and Parsley Chimichurri (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Makes about 2 cups
About 4 cups carrot tops (from one bunch)
1 cup fresh parsley
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp dried oregano
Cut the carrot tops off of the carrots a couple inches above the orange of the carrot. Thoroughly wash them and discard any browned or wilted leaves. Roughly chop the carrot tops into smaller pieces and place them into a food processor. Wash and roughly chop the parsley and add it to the food processor. Blend carrot tops and parsley in food processor to create more space, and then add all other ingredients and finish. Stays in fridge for several days. Can use as a marinade or topping on meats, fish, tofu and more!
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