Dear friends

agretti

My dear friend Lorna, great talented chef from London and a person of great creativity in the kitchen, she’s been asking me all this month to do a post about the agretti. This funny  vegetable, popular in the  Mediterranean and of course here in Italy, apparently, are very difficult to find elsewhere in europe. The agretti are also known as: the priest’s beard (great name , isn’t it?). They seem a bit like chives but the taste is very different. Whenever Lorna is back in Umbria she always tries to by agretti at the super market, and in this time she will be fortunate ,because it is the right season. So in these days she is enjoying her vacation in a small village near Allerona and I decided to buy agretti and cook them in the more traditional way : extra virgin olive oil, anchovies, garlic, chili and a little lemon juice. This recipe then is written for my friend Lorna and for those who will manage to buy agretti around the world. Plus of course for those who want to try this specialty one day in Italy.

By the way I tried doing a research online, to find a translation of agretti, but I failed. So if anyone knows what agretti is in English, please could you let me know.

  Serves 4
600 grams Agretti
1 clove garlic
2 hot chili
2 anchovies, 10 grams pine nuts
Half a lemon juice
Evo Oil
salt

      
How it works:
Clean and boil the agretti for 7 / 8 minutes, drain. In a pan fry in oil, garlic, chilis , anchovies and pine nuts. Add Agretti and a pinch of salt , cook over high heat for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice before serving