Don’t throw away those celery leaves—they’re packed with punchy celery taste and can be used in place of many savoury herbs in cooking. In this pesto recipe, celery leaves are blended with parsley and then tossed with simple sweet potato gnocchi for a surprisingly sophisticated dinner.
Additional tips
- Bake leftover sweet potato peels for crispy sweet potato skin “fries.”
- Freeze raw gnocchi on tray, transfer to container, and store for up to two months in freezer; boil from frozen.
- Freeze pesto in ice cube tray, unmould, and store in container in freezer for up to two months; defrost before using.
Celery Leaf and Hemp Pesto with Sweet Potato-Spelt Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 mL) peeled, cooked, and mashed or purÈed sweet potato (from about 1 large sweet potato)
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) ricotta cheese
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground nutmeg
- 2 cups (500 mL) light spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup (250 mL) celery leaves (celery tops)
- 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems included, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) hemp hearts
- 2 Tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice, plus more for serving
- 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories489
- protein18g
- fat24g
- saturated fat4g
- trans fat0g
- carbohydrates56g
- sugars3g
- fibre10g
- sodium380mg
Directions
01
For gnocchi, line large baking sheet with parchment paper. In large bowl, combine sweet potato, ricotta, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in flour using wooden spoon. Using your hands, knead until a dough forms. Cut dough into 4 equal slices and roll into logs; cut logs into 1/2 in (1.25 cm) pieces and indent with your finger. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
02
For pesto, pulse garlic and lemon zest in food processor until finely minced. Add celery leaves, parsley, hemp hearts, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse until chopped, scrape down sides, and pulse again. With machine running, drizzle in oil; continue to blend until fully incorporated. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
03
Bring large pot of water to a boil. Boil gnocchi for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they float to the top and are heated through. Drain well, add gnocchi back to pot along with pesto, and toss. Serve immediately with lemon for seasoning.
Allison Day, RHN, is a nutritionist, blogger, and cookbook author. Check out her cookbooks, Whole Bowls and Purely Pumpkin (Skyhorse Publishing, 2016).
