How to cook the beard

In case you would like to try it too, here is a little post on how to cook la barba del negus, also called agretti. We heard from our friend Ace that you can find it in San Francisco. She buys it at the farmer's market from Mariquita Farms and recommends sauteeing it with pancetta, which sounds great to me. Let us know if any of you in LA or other cities in the US can find it too.

Here, at the market in Bologna, they recommended simply boiling it and serving it with olive oil, salt, and lemon if you like. It is sold in bunches that look like this, and a bunch costs about 1 euro:

You can see why it is also nicknamed the seaweed of the land.

To prepare it, cut off the roots, soak it in cold water, and rinse it to remove any dirt. The bunches we have bought have some mud, much like spinach often does. After you rinse it well, pick through the leaves and remove any tough parts.

Boil a small pot of salted water, add the agretti, and cook for a few minutes. One vendor suggested one minute and another said 5 minutes, so really it is up to you how you like it. I think 3-4 minutes is ideal.

Drain it, put it in a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with a little salt, to taste. You can serve it with fresh lemon if you like.

I haven't looked up the nutritional properties, but I would guess it is similar to spinach or kale. So if you are craving a dark green vegetable and want to try a new texture and slightly different flavor, I would definitely recommend it.

Enjoy!!