Trofie with celery and lemon pesto
Trofie with celery and lemon pesto is a tasty twist on the classic Ligurian pesto trofie. This recipe doesn't include basil or pestle, so the result is a quick and flavorful sauce.
Ingredients · Servings 4-6 people
- 350 g trofie
- 50 g celery leaves
- 40 g pine nuts
- 30 g Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
- 30 g pecorino
- lemon
- garlic
- seed oil
- extra virgin olive oil
- sale
Method · 25 min
- For the trofie with celery and lemon pesto recipe, wash and carefully dry the celery leaves, patting them dry with kitchen paper (if any water remains, the final consistency of the sauce may be affected).
- Place them in a blender with a propeller blade (do not use an immersion blender) along with the grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 clove of garlic, 30 g of Parmesan cheese, 30 g of pecorino cheese, the pine nuts, a pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of seed oil; blend until smooth. Then, slowly pour in 40 g of extra virgin olive oil and mix by hand. If you're not using the pesto immediately, protect it from oxidation by covering it with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil.
- Cook the trofie in plenty of salted boiling water, drain them and toss them in a bowl with the pesto, previously diluted with a little of the pasta cooking water.
- Tips: Adding the seed oil before blending makes the process easier and emulsifies the ingredients. The extra virgin olive oil should be added later, by hand, as blending it makes it bitter. Store the pesto in a glass jar, covering it with a thin layer of oil to prevent oxidation. Stored in the freezer, it will last about ten days. It's also delicious on crostini, mixed with ricotta, or as a filling for savory pies.
- Wine pairing: White, herbaceous, and citrusy: this is the perfect pairing for celery and lemon. Try pairing it with the Alto Adige Valle Isarco Grüner Veltliner Aristos 2021 from Cantina Valle Isarco: fresh and savory with aromas of fruit and grapefruit. €18, kellerei-eisacktal.it
How to make celery pesto?
To make the celery and lemon pesto, blend the celery leaves, grated lemon zest, garlic, Parmesan cheese, pecorino cheese, pine nuts, salt, lemon juice, and seed oil. Then, drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil and mix by hand. When tossing the trofie with the pesto, you can add a little of the pasta cooking water.