Roast carrots with carrot top pesto and almonds
A tasty dish that hits all the spots: sweet, tangy, creamy and nutty. If you like, add some pulses or grains to bulk this out into a more robust dish. And if you have more carrot tops than you need, make some extra pesto to keep in the fridge.
Prep 10 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4
200g shelled whole almonds
6 large carrots, quartered lengthwise, or 10 small carrots, scrubbed and halved, keeping the tops intact
4 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus a little extra to finish
Salt and black pepper
For the carrot top pesto
60g cashew nuts
50g carrot tops
25g bunch fresh coriander
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
150g rapeseed oil
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Pop the almonds and cashews in the oven on separate small oven trays or dishes, roast for 10-15 minutes, until golden, then remove.
Turn up the oven to 230C (210C fan)/450F/gas 8. Drizzle the carrots with half the oil, season with salt, then roast for 12-20 minutes, depending on the size of the carrots, until golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, make the pesto. Put everything in a blender with a couple of tablespoons of water and blitz until almost smooth – you want a bit of texture in there.
Pop the roast almonds in a blender with the remaining two tablespoons of rapeseed oil, pulse until they resemble a chunky butter, then season to taste.
To serve, spread the almond butter on a large plate. Top with the roast carrots, spoon over the pesto and serve with a final drizzle of rapeseed oil.
Burnt pea, chilli and tarragon spaghetti
A quick, tasty and comforting dish – its vibrant, green hues will make any meal time brighter.
Prep 15 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
Salt and black pepper
360g fresh spaghetti, or 150g dried
5 tbsp rapeseed oil
200g frozen garden peas, defrosted
50g pumpkin seeds
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
2 red chillies, finely diced (remove and discard the pith and seeds if you prefer less heat), or to taste
3 tbsp smoked rapeseed oil
100g sugar snap peas, topped and tailed
25g bunch tarragon, leaves picked and chopped
Put a medium-large saucepan of salted water on to boil, then drop in the pasta, cook according to the packet instructions, until al dente, then drain.
While the pasta is cooking, put half the rapeseed oil in a large frying pan on a high heat and, once it’s smoking, add the defrosted peas, pumpkin seeds and a good pinch of salt. Gently shake the pan while the peas start to colour – you want them nicely browned all over.
Turn down the heat, add a spoonful of the pasta cooking water, then stir in the onion, garlic and chilli, and cook, stirring, for about five minutes, until soft. Tip into a blender, add the smoked rapeseed oil and more pasta water to loosen, if need be, then pulse lightly – you want to keep the mix a little chunky.
Heat the remaining rapeseed oil in the same frying pan and, once it’s smoking, add the sugar snaps and cook until they, too, are nicely charred on both sides.
Mix the drained cooked spaghetti with the pea salsa, the charred sugar snaps and the tarragon until well combined, then plate up and serve.
Miso roast leeks with lentils and green sauce
I adore roast leeks, and the addition of a lick of miso makes them even more delicious. The punchy green sauce adds a nice kick to this dish, which I like to serve with a generous dollop of creme fraiche, or non-dairy alternative, to round it all off.
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
4 tbsp white miso paste
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
4 leeks, trimmed, quartered lengthwise and washed
320g cooked lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
Creme fraiche, to serve
For the green sauce
25g bunch coriander
25g bunch parsley
1 green chilli, finely chopped (remove and discard the pith and seeds if you prefer less heat), or to taste
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
100ml olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt
In a bowl, whisk the miso paste with the rapeseed oil and four tablespoons of warm water, then brush this mix all over each leek and set aside.
Put a large, nonstick frying pan on a medium-high heat and, once it’s good and hot, lay in the leeks cut side down (depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in two or three batches). Leave for six to eight minutes, until the leeks are well coloured, then add a couple of tablespoons of water, cover the pan and leave to cook for three to five minutes, until the leeks are soft.
Meanwhile, put all the ingredients for the green sauce in a blender with four tablespoons of cold water, and blitz until almost smooth.
Gently reheat the cooked lentils in a small pan with a few spoonfuls of water, then tip into the leek pan, stir in 2 tbsp olive oil, cover and warm through for a couple of minutes. Spoon the green sauce on top and serve with a dollop or two of creme fraiche.
Chantelle Nicholson is chef/owner of Apricity in London
This article was edited on 30 April 2023, to clarify that the miso in the leek dish should be white miso paste.
