Sautéed Spring Greens with Celery Leaf Pesto

Sautéed spring greens with celery leaf pesto made a simple lunch for one this week. After breaking my dominant arm recently in a bike accident, I’ve been relying on the generosity of kind friends and family to provide us with home-cooked meals. The plaster cast is now off, and I’ve ventured back into the kitchen to cook, but only things in small pans which I can lift off the stove without help.

I’ve missed my weekly outings to the market to choose produce. It’s been the highlight of my week during lockdown. When James from https://farmerandson.com.au dropped off my box, he threw in some extras – lovely fresh asparagus and a fat grey zucchini, also called Mexican Grey squash, Middle Eastern squash or Lebanese squash. In fact, it’s not grey, but rather a flecked delicate pale green.

I make pesto every week with whatever leaves we have on hand. This pesto is a great way to use up all the celery leaves, and I like to add some Italian parsley for a bit of sweetness. My daughter has been eating it with tomatoes on toast for breakfast, and I quite like it tossed into cooked vegetables or stirred into vegetable soup. Other delicious combinations are rocket and walnut, carrot leaf and pine nut, or basil and roasted almond. This pesto is quick to make as it uses raw cashews.

Add some tinned cannellini beans or a couple of boiled eggs to the sautéed spring greens to make a more substantial meal for two. Here’s another favourite pesto recipe: https://atamandastable.com.au/spring-minestron…eriac-leaf-pesto/

What’s your favourite pesto?

Best wishes,

Amanda

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Print Recipe

Sautéed Spring Greens with Celery Leaf Pesto

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Servings: 2 people

Author: Amanda Lawson

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends snapped off & sliced lengthways
• 1 zucchini, sliced into rounds (halved if they're big)
• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Celery Leaf Pesto

• 2 cups celery leaves
• 1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• 200 mL olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a medium frypan and add sliced garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the garlic turns golden.
• Add the sliced asparagus and zucchini and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes until the zucchini starts to brown and the asparagus is a bright green.
• Stir in a dollop of pesto, sprinkle with a few roasted cashews and serve immediately.

Celery Leaf Pesto

• Place the leaves, garlic and 150 mL of the olive oil in a large bowl and blitz briefly with a handheld blender.
• Add the cheese and cashews and blitz again. Season to taste. Add the remaining olive oil for a smoother pesto.
• Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.