Agretti Savoury Pie

A few days ago, while I was shopping at my favourite grocery store in Switzerland, I saw a packet of vegetables I had never seen. Once I read the name on the label (agretti, monk’s beard, mönksbart) I realised those were the vegetables I’ve been hearing everyone talking about lately. These green shoots grow in Italy, from Central Italy to the South, but I have to admit that they are not so common in the area where I’m from (North-east of Italy). So I didn’t pass up the chance to buy them and to prepare this savoury cake, after consulting Marinella who is the expert when it comes to Southern Italian recipes. Hope you find the Agretti at your local market ’cause they are really delicious and especially super healthy!

(Francesca)

Rinse the agretti under running water and cut off the thick stems. Let dry on a kitchen rag.
Sauté the agretti in a large pan with olive oil and salt, until tender and crispy (for max. 10 minutes). Take the agretti off the heat, and mix them with ricotta cheese, 1 egg and grated parmesan cheese. The more parmesan you add and the tastier your pie will be.
Heat the oven to 180°C.
Roll the crust pastry out on baking paper and place the pastry on a round pie pan. Fill it with the sautéed agretti mixture and fold the edges (as in the pictures).
Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the pie cool completely before serving.