Agretti, also known as the barba di frate, barba dei frati, riscolo, rosciano or roscano agretto, is an unusual vegetable, or weed, with a rather short harvest season and an exquisite taste. In English it is known as the friar's or monk's beard. The plant belongs to the family of Chenopodiaceae and forms small bushes and thrives in the wild in coastal regions of the Mediterranean basin, in the soil with high salinity. It is a halophyte or salt-tolerant, plant. Under special conditions, the plant can also be cultivated in the garden.
Agretti is very popular among the gourmets in Italy during its growing season in Spring. It can be consumed cooked or raw. Uncooked it has a slightly tart, salty taste.
Like any green vegetable, agretti (Salsola soda) is rich in chlorophyll and fiber. It is also a good source of vitamin A and C, some B vitamins, carotenoids especially lutein, and minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron.
I made this simple dish for the first time ever, and it was delicious. If you can get the ingredients, give it a try. The amount of agretti I used was about half of the cooked pasta, proportion 2:1. You may want to use more and change the proportion to 1:1 or even 2:1. Although I was very happy with the outcome, I probably will double the amount of agretti the next time I cook this dish.
I was very lucky to get the incredibly tasty and very ripe Amalfi lemons that are now in season. I decided to use the juice and the aromatic zest in this recipe. Lemon juice harmonizes perfectly with the friar's beard.
Ingredients:
- spaghetti or any other pasta of your choice, enough for two people
- 1 small bunch agretti
- 4 Tbsp virgin olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 6-8 sun dried tomatoes halves
- 1 heaping Tbsp capers
- juice of 1 Amalfi lemon
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
- shaved Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Sardo cheese for garnish
Gather all the ingredients and prepare them before you start cooking.
Method:
- Soak the sun dried tomatoes in water to soften them. Once they are soft, chop them up roughly. To save the time you may want to use the soft sun dried tomatoes that were preserved in olive oil.
- Wash the agretti and cut off the though white ends. Set aside.
- Peel and roughly chop the garlic.
- Cook the pasta in slightly salted water. Follow the package instructions to get it right. I like my pasta al dente, you may want to cook it for a little longer.
- A few minutes before the pasta is ready, toss the agretti into the pot and cook together with the pasta until the noodles are cooked to perfection.
- Reserve one cup of the water from cooking the pasta. You will need it for the sauce. Using a sieve, sieve off the noodles and agretti. Let it drain and discard the remaining cooking water.
- In a large pan gently warm up the olive oil. I use medium heat. Toss in the garlic and cook it until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will taste bitter.
- Add chopped sun dried tomatoes to the pan and cook for a minute or two, stirring gently. Add the capers and continue for another minute still watching the garlic.
- Transfer the drained pasta and agretti into the pan and mix well with all the other ingredients. Add the reserved water from cooking the pasta and mix well. Take the pan off the heat. Add lemon zest and lemon juice and mix again.
- Portion out the pasta. Add a generous amount of black pepper and garnish with shaving of aged Italian cheese. Serve right away and enjoy in good company!
Tip: You can replace the agretti with garlic scapes to create another delicious dish.
By Dominique Allmon
Dominique Allmon©2024