Seasoning from carrot tops recipes. Tomatoes with carrot tops

carrot tops- the green part of the plant of the same name, which is also very often used in cooking and in preparations for the winter for the future. The tops are harvested along with root crops, after which it also goes on sale.

Carrots are a very healthy vegetable. However, the greenery of the plant has the same chemical composition, which is the root crop, so it must also be included in the daily diet. Moreover, the percentage of vitamins and minerals in it is much higher than in vegetables.

What preparations for the winter can be made with carrot and beet tops?

The composition of the tops includes easily digestible proteins and carbohydrates, which are necessary for the body to work stably. The chlorophyll contained in the product is responsible for cleansing the blood of heavy metals and toxins. Carrot greens include potassium, which is an essential element in building and strengthening bones. Infusions on carrot tops in ancient times were prepared to strengthen the immune system, today the content of vitamin C in the product is also key. Carrot tops are a low-calorie product, so they are often used in the diet menu. The fiber contained in the tops will contribute to weight loss, as it normalizes bowel function.

Carrot tops are contraindicated for people with personal intolerance. It is also worth remembering that it is the greens that accumulate nitrites in themselves, which the plant draws from the soil. In its raw form, this product is practically not consumed.

Just as it is necessary to choose high-quality carrots for harvesting for the winter, you need to be able to choose the right tops. First of all, it is important that the purchased product is fresh and does not smell musty. Greens deteriorate very quickly, so there is a reason to purchase chilled tops. Most often, such a product is packaged in hermetic bags. This is convenient because the packing date should be indicated on the packaging. If greens are purchased by weight, preference should be given to dense and whole leaves. You should not buy even slightly sluggish tops, because there is practically no gastronomic value and useful substances in it. You need to store carrot greens at home in the appropriate section of the refrigerator for no longer than five days.

In cooking, the tops are used infrequently. It can be an optional ingredient in the preparation of some side dish or second course. More often this product is used in the creation of home-made preparations for the winter for future use. It can be pickled or pickled vegetables, such as cucumbers, squash or tomatoes. Also, the tops can be harvested on their own or included in assorted greens. In some cases, the product is frozen in crushed form in special plastic containers. If desired, the tops can be dried using an electric dryer or dehydrator, then crushed and used as a fragrant spice.

To better understand how you can use carrot tops in simple and tasty preparations for the future, it is recommended to study the recipes below with step by step photos. There you can also find information on how the finished preservation should be stored.

How to dry vegetables

Dried vegetables, like dried fruits, are a high quality product. They are completely preserved nutrients, taste qualities raw vegetables, and store them conveniently. Dried vegetables take up little space and are stored under normal room conditions out of the reach of mice.

You can dry vegetables in various ways, well in a Russian oven, oven and in natural conditions in the sun. Currently, vegetables can be dried in special electric dryers, but their capacity is small and drying a large amount of vegetables can take a long time.

Carrot tops

But it should be noted that the faster the vegetables are dried, the higher their quality. With prolonged drying, vegetables lose their taste. In the shade in a ventilated room, it is recommended to dry vegetable greens - parsley, celery, spinach.

How to dry potatoes.

Suitable for drying late varieties of potatoes with a high content of starch. For drying, even tubers without eyes and damage are selected, then there will be less waste. Rinse the potatoes well in cold water and peel, dip the peeled potatoes in salted water until cut. Put a teaspoon of salt without a slide per liter of water.

Then cut large potatoes for drying into strips, the thickness of the piece is 0.5 cm and the length is not more than 5 cm. Small potato tubers are cut into slices or circles. Before drying, cut potatoes should also be in salted water. Preparing potatoes and keeping them in water should not take much time; if more than 2 hours pass, the potatoes will lose a lot of nutrients.

To get high-quality dried potatoes, you need to put the prepared product in a gauze bag or colander and dip it in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes, then quickly cool it in cold water, holding it in it for 5 minutes. Let the water drain and lay the sliced ​​potatoes in an even layer only 2cm thick on drying sieves or wire racks.

Dry potatoes in dryers or ovens and ovens. They begin to dry at a low temperature of 60 degrees, then increase it to 85 degrees. During drying, the potatoes must be stirred repeatedly, drying will take from 4 to 6 hours.

How to dry beets.

For drying, the highest quality and darkly colored beets are selected. Wash the root crops and cut off the ends. Then boil the beets for 20-30 minutes, peel and cut into noodles or shavings. Rinse the prepared beets with water and place on a sieve to dry. You can wash the beets, peel, cut and blanch in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, cool in cold water, let the water drain and spread on sieves.

Dried beets are harvested in small quantities, so beets can be dried in electric dryers. Well-cooked dried beets are dark red in color and have a fresh beet flavor.

Drying carrots.

For drying, take varieties with a bright orange color of root crops and, if possible, with a small core. Carrots are prepared in the same way as beets, reducing the cooking time to 15 minutes and blanching to 2 minutes. Dried carrots of excellent quality are obtained by cooking in the second way. Prepared carrots are cut into thin circles, dipped in boiling water for 2 minutes and cooled by immersing in cold water. Then spread the carrots on a sieve in a very thin layer and stir during drying.

How to dry onions.

Sharp varieties of onions are suitable for drying, well-ripened onions are cleaned and washed with water. Then the onions are cut into circles 3 mm thick, and the circles are cut into two or four parts. Onions are not treated with hot water; at the same time, they soften too much and lose their specific flavor. It is possible to improve the quality of dried onions if they are kept for 5 minutes in cold salty water with the addition of 50 g of salt per liter of water before laying out. Spread the prepared onion on sieves in a thin layer and dry at a temperature not exceeding 65 degrees, at high temperatures the onion becomes very dark.

How to dry cauliflower.

Heads of cabbage cauliflower, remove the leaves and separate the heads. Divide the heads into inflorescences and wash cold water. Soak in salted water for 10-15 minutes so that the insects emerge. Then dip the cauliflower inflorescences in boiling water for 3 minutes and cool to decompose to dry.

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Recently, more and more often, housewives are returning to the topic in cooking. Today I will share 10 ways its use in the preparation of a wide variety of dishes.

Despite the fact that relatively recently grandmothers and great-grandmothers, both Italian and, I think, of any other country, skillfully used carrot tops in cooking, their little culinary secrets were forgotten for decades. This ingredient has been completely eliminated from our diet. But in vain! We all know how rich carrots are in mineral salts and vitamins, but few of us thought that carrot tops also contain similar components, and that it is not only edible, but also healthy! In addition to mineral salts, carrot tops contain a lot of vitamin A, which has a beneficial effect on the skin and eyesight, as well as on the vital activity of our entire body.

In addition to useful properties, carrot tops have a special and extraordinary, slightly spicy taste, which goes well with many other ingredients, so it can be used in the preparation of first and second courses, as well as salads, meatballs and salty pies.

Fortunately, recently not only the dust from grandmother's recipes has been blown away, but many others, new and original dishes worthy of frequenting our tables.

Cleaning

The preparatory process for processing carrot tops is very simple, but it is important to remember some rules, following which you can always prepare wonderful dishes.

1. In the preparation of dishes from carrot tops, only juicy and green carrot leaves are used.

2. The stalks of carrot tops are too hard, so they must be removed.

3. Carrot leaves must be well washed from possible dust and earth residues.

4. For many preparations, carrot leaves are blanched initially.

Carrot leaves can be separated from the stems with your hands or a knife, while removing those that have turned yellow or deteriorated.

For washing, carrot leaves are placed in a colander, which, in turn, is placed in a pot of water so that the leaves do not touch the bottom and practically “hang” in the water. Keep them like this for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally with your hand. With this method of washing, all the dust or earth accumulated on the carrot tops will settle at the bottom of the pan. (This method is used to wash the vongole from sand).

Since carrot leaves are quite tough, they are used blanched for many preparations. To do this, boil salted water and blanch carrot leaves 1 in it, for a maximum of 2 minutes.

How to use carrot tops - 10 recipes

1st Recipe

Pasta with carrot leaves

With carrot tops, you can make a wonderful, slightly spicy pasta sauce.

cooking method

Boil water to boil the pasta. When it boils, salt it and when it boils again, stop cooking the pasta. Boil according to the time indicated on the package. When the pasta is ready “al dente”, drain it in a colander, then transfer it to the pan with the prepared sauce.

While the pasta is cooking prepare the sauce. To do this, pour olive oil into a wide frying pan and add peeled and finely chopped garlic, as well as a little hot pepper. Warm up over low heat. When the oil begins to smell pleasantly like garlic, add the blanched and finely chopped carrot leaves. Increase the heat slightly and heat, stirring for a minute, then add the chopped walnuts and cooked pasta. Increase the power of the fire and heat everything together for 20-30 seconds.

Note to the owner: it happens that the paste looks a bit dry. To do this, Italians use one trick: they do not completely pour out the entire broth from the pasta, but pour one cup aside and use a little of this broth while heating the pasta in a pan with sauce.

Serve immediately pasta to the table, sprinkling, if you prefer spicier dishes, additionally ground hot pepper and a pinch of grated cheese.

2nd Recipe

Carrot Pesto

7th Recipe

Another great way to use carrot tops in cooking is to make great energy drinks. Here is one of them, original and delicious! Enjoy it at any time of the day, nourishing your body with vitamins and mineral salts!

To prepare one glass of drink you will need the following

For traditional Russian cuisine, carrot tops are as common as turnips, rutabaga or, say, buckwheat. Many independent dishes were prepared with it, such as botvinya. Carrot tops were used as a filling for pies and pancakes, added to salads and pickles. Unfortunately, today we know much more than how to create dishes from these undeservedly forgotten ingredients.

Carrot tops are not familiar to us. In the meantime, it's very helpful.

Carrot tops - benefits and harms

Official medicine bypasses this kind of greenery with proud silence. And few gardeners, pulling fresh shoots in the garden, think about whether this herb can be used in their diet. Meanwhile, carrot tops are useful, although we are used to throwing them away. But including it in the diet, as well as, contributes to our recovery. It is rich in vitamins and minerals, contains valuable essential oils. Many of the elements contained in it are present in the root crop in a much lower concentration, and some are absent altogether. For example, selenium: in the carrot itself, this powerful antioxidant is not at all, and the tops are able to cover the daily dose needed by the body with just one small branch. It significantly exceeds the root crop in the content of vitamin C, is rich in zinc and potassium, vitamin K, chlorophyll.

The healing properties of carrot tops are widely used in traditional medicine. For a long time in Russia it has been used for the treatment of cough, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, cystitis, urolithiasis . The tops, like carrots themselves, are useful for impaired vision due to the high content of vitamin A. A decoction of fragrant greens helps to get rid of edema, removing excess fluid. This effect is sometimes used for weight loss by drinking tea from carrot tops. The rich vitamin composition allows the use of carrot tops for disinfection of wounds, removal of inflammation of the gums and skin. She is useful at diabetes, thyroid diseases.

However, there are also controversial. The tops of garden carrots contain a small amount of alkaloids, inherited from their predecessor, wild carrots. Therefore, her excessive consumption can cause poisoning. Unusual substances for the body can provoke digestive disorders in people with sensitive gastrointestinal tract. It is not recommended to use carrot tops for pregnant women., as it increases muscle tone, including the uterus. Even if you consider yourself perfectly healthy, you should be careful when introducing a new product to the menu.

How to use carrot tops

So, with reasonable use, the benefits of carrot tops are obvious. It remains to decide how to use it, what exactly to cook.

To get started, try adding fresh herbs in small amounts to soups and salads that are familiar to your menu. To take away the bitterness, inherent in carrot "tops", pour boiling water over it. Beneficial features while being preserved.

Unfortunately, the summer season ends quickly. But you can prepare carrot tops for the winter by drying it or freezing it. Dried tops are suitable for medicinal decoction, tea, and soups. And frozen will be good in pies, casseroles and second courses.

The old confrontation between lovers of tops and admirers of roots is now leveled by an instructive story with sowing carrots. Once upon a time, this plant was eaten exclusively by its aerial green part and seeds. Then it turned out that in gastronomic terms, the underground part of the carrot clearly wins, and the dispute between benefit and pleasure was resolved by the victory of the latter. Perhaps this can be explained by the lack of awareness of the population in the true healing values ​​of the parts of the carrot. But today, when science has reached unprecedented heights, and it has become clear that many times more vitamins and other useful substances are hidden in the tops of a vegetable than in the root crop itself, the situation began to change dramatically.

As unbelievable as it sounds, but carrot tops there are five thousand times more vitamins than in the orange carrot itself. The green part of the vegetable is literally saturated with the B vitamin group, retinol, that is, vitamin A, and ascorbic acid, no less known as vitamin C. It also contains more rare vitamins K, E and PP.

Solidly represented in the tops and minerals in the form of macro- and microelements:

• potassium;
• gland;
• cobalt;
• calcium;
• lithium;
• sodium;
• phosphorus;
• Selene;
• aluminum;
• fluorine;
• sulfur;
• iodine.

Did you know? In the European Union, carrots are considered a fruit, because the Portuguese make jam from them, and according to European standards, jam is made only from fruits.

The pronounced antioxidant qualities of carrot tops are mainly due to the solid presence of the mineral selenium in them. As a result, the use of tops contributes to the optimization of the activity of the cardiovascular system, inhibition of the emerging process of early aging, and improvement of reproductive qualities. Selenium is so well represented in the tops that to get it daily dose only a couple of stems are enough.
And chlorophyll paired with calcium is responsible for such a valuable quality of tops as the ability to clean circulatory system body from toxins and poisons.

Potassium and vitamin K optimize heart activity, successfully lower arterial pressure in hypertensive patients and normalize metabolic processes.

The retinol present in carrot greens really helps to improve vision, increases its sharpness and prevents eye diseases, both among nearsighted and farsighted people.

Carrot tops should be especially in demand among those who want to lose weight. Infusions from it stimulate the digestion process, activate intestinal motility, which, with a properly structured diet, leads to weight loss.

Such a wide range of medicinal qualities of carrot tops, of course, could not be left without the attention of traditional healers. For example, the presence of phytoncides in it makes it possible to effectively use it in the form of compresses during the treatment of wounds, ulcers, frostbite and other similar problems.
The same ability of carrot tops as a mixture of its juice and honey to fight pathogenic microflora is used in the treatment of throat or stomatitis.

The antioxidant properties of this remedy, which help to cleanse the blood vessels of bad cholesterol and return their walls to flexibility and elasticity, help prevent stroke and heart attack.

A significant presence of potassium and vitamin K contributes to a decrease in blood pressure in hypertensive patients, and the presence of calcium in the remedy prevents the occurrence of osteoporosis.

One of the most valuable qualities of carrot tops is its unique ability to effectively deal with such an ancient human scourge as hemorrhoids, even in the most advanced cases and at any stage of this problem.

This remarkable quality is explained by the ability of the elements contained in greens to act in the body at the cellular level, stimulating redox processes and activating the ability of cells to recover, which leads to recovery.

These qualities of the remedy plus its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anesthetic, analgesic properties also help to cope with problems in the gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary system in general and in the female reproductive system in particular.

Carrot tops are also able to improve potency in men, strengthen teeth and gums in children when changing teeth, eliminate swelling, treat severe coughs, and soothe nervous system after stress, eliminate insomnia and even really help with alcohol intoxication, cleansing the liver and blood of poisons.

With diabetic problems, carrot tops can make the process of sugar absorption into the blood smoother. Containing 10 grams of sucrose per 100 grams of product, carrot greens can fully compensate for sugar in the body.
And the dietary fibers present in it, enriching the vessels with microelements that prevent the breakdown of sugars, contribute to the fact that glucose, which breaks down with the help of enzymes, does not affect blood sugar saturation in any way. As a result, everyone is fine: both the vessels, the body, and the person himself.

While the townspeople at the word "carrot" immediately imagined an orange root crop, in the villages the aerial part of this vegetable was no less widely used. And here, not only the traditional frugality of the villagers was manifested, but also the old recipes inherited from their ancestors.

For example, the once very popular botvini. In addition, carrot tops were certainly used in the manufacture of various kinds of pickles, for example, when pickling tomatoes or sauerkraut, which gave the products a spicy spicy flavor.

Today, culinary specialists use this product most actively in the preparation of salads and soups. Many housewives are happy to make fillings for pies and pancakes, vegetable cutlets and casseroles from it.

In summer, you need to cook not only sleds, but also carrot tops, more precisely, in the middle of summer, when orange root crops are pulled out of the beds. Greens should be separated from them, and it is greens. Yellowed and twisted stems are categorically not suitable for harvesting and storage.

Then the tops are thoroughly washed and laid out in a thin layer (preferably on cotton fabric) and sent for drying, which is best done in a dry and shady place.

Important! In no case should carrot greens be dried in the sun, because as a result, many useful substances can be missed in it.

It is best to store the product in a glass container or in cotton bags in a dry and dark place.

Freezing greens has become very popular recently. To do this, well-washed tops should be dried for a couple of hours, finely chopped and, placed in a container or plastic bag, sent to the freezer.

Possible harm and contraindications

Carrot tops are not able to cause any harm to a healthy person. However, if someone has temporary or permanent health problems, then there are natural contraindications that regulate the intake of this product:

• first of all, this applies to persons who have an individual intolerance to the product;
• people who are exposed to allergens should also be wary of this product;
• it is not recommended to use tops and people who have problems with the gastrointestinal tract during an exacerbation peptic ulcer, with increased acidity of gastric juice, with an inflammatory process in the large intestine, with ulcerative colitis and with intestinal upset;
• the ability of this product to lower blood pressure is fraught with trouble for people suffering from hypotension;
• people who have very sensitive skin, with tactile contact with the leaves, due to the furocoumarins present in it, can get skin irritation or even inflammation.

Important! Pregnant women are forbidden to take funds with the presence of carrot tops. Its ability to increase the tone of the uterus can lead to miscarriage or premature birth.

How to take carrot tops

There are three types of taking this remedy for the treatment and prevention of diseases.

To make tea from this product, you need to take a teaspoon of finely chopped tops for each cup of water - fresh, dry or thawed. Pour freshly boiled water into the teapot, then let the tea brew for ten minutes.
It is not recommended to drink more than three glasses of this tea a day, as it is not only a pleasant drink, but also a remedy that, if used regularly, can prevent many of the diseases listed above and even cure them. For example, such as varicose veins and hemorrhoids, or visual impairment.