This salad is a light, fresh, tasty dish, very quick to prepare.
It can be used for a light and tasty meal but can also be served as a healthy and non-fattening starter. Agretti or “monk’s beard” is wonderfully tasty and rich in beneficial properties.
Sadly, not everybody knows about it when, in fact, we should eat as much as possible in the spring. Rich in water, vitamins and minerals, eating agretti is a really good way of replenishing our body with the minerals it needs. It contains precious fibre and very few calories and is therefore perfect for people with diabetes or high cholesterol.
It is cleaned by cutting the roots with scissors (the brown/pinkish part) and then rinsing away and residue of dirt. At this point it is parboiled and served with toasted pine nuts, cheese and Taggiasca olives, seasoned with lemon, oil and salt. Choose your favourite cheese to go with it, I have used a cheese from the Ligurian Alps.
Ingredients
Tools
Steps
Clean the roots of the agretti using the kitchen scissors. Cut off the darker tougher parts. Soak to remove any earth and sand. Wash in a sieve under running water.
Boil in slightly salted water for 3/5 minutes. As soon as the agretti is cooked rinse in cold water to maintain the bright green colour and then transfer to the serving dish and season with salt, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
Add the lemon zest and serve with sliced cheese and toasted pine nuts.
Another trickle of oil and… voilà… our salad is ready to put on the table!
Try it with a good Genoese focaccia.
My social profiles
If you like my recipes you can follow me on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter e Telegram.
But if you prefer the paper form, I have also published the book Liguria in the kitchen.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
When can “monk’s beard” be found?
It can be found at the greengrocers from February to May. You must always choose young, healthy plants that look fresh and swollen.
Varied doses for servings