Dishing Up the Dirt

roasted carrot and dill pesto pasta

January 29, 2013

IMG_1764I feel like a high functioning head case at the moment. Taylor and I are in full swing farm planning mode. I know I promised a post about this last week, but I am going to have to postpone it. We don’t even know what we are doing right now, so it seems silly and overwhelming to document it.

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Henry is super supportive of this stressful time in our lives. All he wants is for us to promise extra carrots on Tumbleweed Farm.

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And extra onions for that matter!

Done and done. Carrots…onions… got it!

Luckily all of our seeds for the farm season were delivered the other day. Our wallets are very thin now and the real work is about to begin. Yikes. What we are realizing is how easy we had it at Hutchins Farm. Planning out an entire farm season in a new climate is HARD work. Especially when your livelihood is dependent on it.

IMG_1766Taylor and I have said this a million times. But the truth is, you do not go into farming for the money. You go into it so you can feed your community, eat like a king, and hopefully scrape by with the minimal money you earn during the season. If you can do that, then you are successful. And that my friends is our goal. We need to farm like motherf***ers. And that is what we plan to do.

Photo1Serious farming faces!

Okay, let’s get back to the roasted carrot and dill pesto pasta.

First stop, carrots.

Photo1I love these ladies! And those carrots…..the best damn carrots in the world!

This time of year I love roasting carrots. They become SO sweet with minimal effort. All you have to do is turn on your oven. Easy peasy.

IMG_1774If you pair your sweet roasted carrots with dill pesto amazing things can happen.

I love dill so naturally this pesto is right up my alley. However, if you are not a dill fan feel free to swap out the pesto ingredients to suit your taste buds.

Roasted carrot and dill pesto pasta (serves 4)

For the pesto: (this is a rough estimate)

3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups fresh packed dill

1/2 a cup of fresh parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

a handful of crushed walnuts

a handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Blend everything in a food processor. Taste test and set aside. (remember it may taste strong but it is going to accompany sweet carrots and pasta)!

For the carrots:

Preaheat the oven to 400

Cut 5-6 large carrots into 1/4 inch pieces. Toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes. Stir halfway through. Remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile cook a 12 ounce box of penne pasta. When pasta is done stain it. Mix in pesto and roasted carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

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Leave a Reply

18 thoughts on “roasted carrot and dill pesto pasta

  1. girlversusdough says:

    Ohhh my goodness this pasta looks delicious. That dill pesto really does it for me!

  2. I love these photos of you on the farm and working hard and my dad grew up on a farm in MN, I grew up around farms, and what you said about farming is dead on. No one goes into it to get rich. You pretty much just work your tail off to survive. And thank you for feeding us all!

  3. Roasted carrots and dill pesto sounds so delicious! I want to hear more about your farming experience and see more photos of Tumbleweed Farms. How exciting!

  4. Monet says:

    This sounds amazing, and I love all the pictures of your farming community. Such great smiles (and I’m sure you guys are going to have an amazing Spring!) Thank you for sharing. This post was a bright way to warm up a my cold Tuesday morning. I hope you have a wonderful week!

  5. For starters, I love your dog! Second, my dog would go nuts with all those carrots, I mean he would seriously harass you to no end until you gave him some. Third, I love anything pesto and making it with dill would have never crossed my mind. Very nice!

  6. I’m so excited to read about your 2013 farming “plan”!! You have my dream job (seriously!) and I am going to live vicariously through you ๐Ÿ™‚ After you get settled onto your new farm, you should seriously consider opening a small restaurant. Your recipes are all gorgeous and look amazing!

  7. Kankana says:

    Love pasta with pesto any time of the year. And your version sounds YUM!

  8. This pasta sounds lovely! That pesto sounds especially delicious ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Love pesto, this version sounds wonderful!

  10. My husband has always wanted to be a farmer for as long as I’ve known him! Love the serious farmer faces, lol. Those carrots do look like the best carrots in the world and I agree, roasted carrots are the bomb!

  11. A)Your photos are adorable!
    B)I want this pasta asap!
    C)You rock, lady!

    Done and Done!

  12. amy leclerc says:

    You two were born to farm like mother******s! If anyone can do it, you can.

  13. Viva says:

    Yum yum yum! I must make that!

  14. Dill is my favorite herb EVER. I love it so much. This looks fantastic!

  15. Carrie Link says:

    Cheryl Strayed would be so proud of you.

    1. drealieberg says:

      well, she is my hero. And so are YOU! I loved Wil of God and am telling everyone to read it! Best book of 2013!!! you are amazing.

  16. Sophie33 says:

    What a fabulous & wonderful dish! Looks very appetizing!

  17. Tiffani says:

    This pesto was delicious!! I got a ton of dill in my csa and had no idea how to use it, thanks!! The second time around I added basil, carrot greens and a lemon and used it on a pizza crust with veggies….yummy…. ๐Ÿ™‚

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