Cold Pasta with Celery Pesto

Cold pasta with celery pesto is an unusual but very fresh and light dish, perfect for the warmer periods. Let’s take a look at the ingredients and how to prepare this dish right away.

Ingredients

• 320 g short pasta (penne, fusilli, farfalle, etc.)
• 1 bunch of celery
• 1 clove of garlic
• 30 g pine nuts
• 50 g grated Parmesan
• 1 bunch of parsley
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Thoroughly wash the celery stalks and remove the toughest strings. Cut into pieces.
2. In a pan, toast the pine nuts until golden. Be careful not to burn them, otherwise they will become bitter.
3. In a food processor, add the celery pieces, the garlic (peeled and with the central core removed), the toasted pine nuts, the Parmesan, the parsley, a pinch of salt and pepper, and blend everything, adding the oil in a steady stream until you obtain a creamy and homogeneous consistency.
4. Adjust the celery pesto with salt and pepper and set aside.
5. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
6. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and cool it quickly.
7. Place the cold pasta in a large bowl, add the celery pesto, and mix well to coat.
8. Let the celery pesto pasta cool completely in the refrigerator before serving.

To enrich the dish: you can add halved cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, or Parmesan shavings for more flavor and texture.

Trivia: Celery pesto is a lighter variant compared to classic Genoese pesto, and its origins are modern. It was born from creativity and the desire to experiment with different vegetables to discover new pairings and flavors.