Agretti all’Agro
Agretti all’agro is Roman spring on a plate. These grassy, briny greens—also called barba di frate, or “monk’s beard”—make a fleeting appearance at market stalls just as the city starts to shake off winter. Grown in the salty, marshy terrain near the coast, agretti are crunchy, mineral-rich, and almost absurdly good with the simplest treatment. A quick blanch preserves their electric-green hue and signature tenderness, and a squeeze of lemon juice brings enough acid to earn the dish its name (all’agro, meaning “on the sour side”). Hit it with a drizzle of oil and you’re ready to go.
4 ingredients
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Agretti all’Agro
Ingredients (4)
Ingredients (4)
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
Add salt until the water tastes like a seasoned soup.
Cook the agretti (2 bunches) until very tender, 3 to 5 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the top.
Drain well and serve drizzled with lemon juice (1 lemon) and olive oil.
Notes
Notes
You can prepare chicory, spinach, amaranth, chard, puntarelle leaves, or any other imaginable leafy green all’agro by boiling until tender, draining, squeezing out any excess water, then seasoning with lemon, salt, and olive oil (but agretti are salty enough on their own that they don’t need the extra seasoning).
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