Ingredient:

• 8 long celery stalks, leaves separated and reserved, tough fibers peeled off with a vegetable peeler, sliced on an angle into ¼-inch thick pieces
• ½ cup raw almonds
• 4 Medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I used Parmesan*), shaved into shards with a vegetable peeler (to yield about ⅓ cup)
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil