Spaghetti with Agretti (Salsola Soda).
A nutritious and delicious traditional spring pasta recipe made with Mediterraean saltwort (agretti), tomatoes, olive, garlic and peperoncino.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
- 320 g spaghetti alla chitarra (or normal spaghetti)
- 250 g agretti ((9oz) also called monk's beard or saltwort)
- 1-2 clove garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1/2 fresh peperoncino (red chili pepper) (seeds removed and chopped (optional))
- 60 g black olives ((2oz) pitted. I used taggiasca olives)
- salt (for pasta, agretti and to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper. (to taste)
- 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
- 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano ((2oz) optional for non vegetarians)
Instructions
- 1
Clean the agretti by removing the roots, the hard part of the stem and any yellow bits. Wash the leaves under cold water. Wash and half the cherry tomatoes, peel and chop the garlic, chop the peperoncino (if using) and cut the olives in half if they are big.
- 2
Put a pot of water onto to boil for the agretti. Add a little salt when it starts to boil and cook/blanch the agretti for 3-5 minutes. I removed the agretti from the water and used the same water for the pasta. However, you can boil a fresh pot of water for the pasta if you prefer. Set the drained agretti aside.
- 3
Sauté the chopped garlic and peperoncino (red chilli pepper) in olive oil until they start to soften. Add the cherry tomato halves and cook until they start to soften too. Add the olives and cook for another minute then add the agretti and sauté everything together for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- 4
Cook the spaghetti in the boiling salted water until al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Save some of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the agretti and mix everything together well. If the sauce seems dry, add some of the saved pasta cooking water. Serve immediately with grated Parmigiano if required.