Celery Leaf Pesto
Yield 5
This is based on the dish I had at Maggiolini in Trevi. They served it over a pasta shape called trucioli that kind of look like curly half rigatoni. This is a good dish to make when you get a really great head of celery that still has the leaves on it.
Ingredients
- 2 cups celery leaves
- pinch salt
- grinding of black pepper
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano (or grana)
- 100 grams gorgonzola dolce, but into cubes
- 1 pound / 500 gr pasta
Instructions
- Place the celery leaves in a food processor along with the pine , salt, pepper and garlic. Blend until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides if you have to.
- With the motor running, pour in the olive oil. Mix until it is well pureed. Again, you may have to scrape down the sides.
- Next add the parmigiano and mix again. Then add the gorgonzola. Depending on the consistency of the gorgonzola it might glop up a bit. Don’t worry.
- Scrape the pesto into a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap with the wrap touching the top of the pesto.( If you make the pesto ahead of time, store in the refrigerator, but make sure it comes back to room temperature before using.)
- Boil the pasta in salted water until cooked. Drain, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water. Put the pasta back into the warm pot where you cooked the pasta and add the pesto. Stir well and fast, using the reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Just add a bit of water at a time, not too much and certainly not all of it.
- Serve. It shouldn’t need more grated parmigiano, but freshly grated black pepper is perfect.
Recipe by Elizabeth Minchilli at https://www.elizabethminchilli.com/2020/10/stuffed-celery-pesto/