Agretti: The great spring ingredient to add to your food

With its inky green, succulent fronds, agretti has a languid beauty that is thrilling to see come late February, early March. Along with the arrival of wild garlic, it signals the creeping in of spring to me like almost nothing else. Also, I have heard on the grapevine that wild salmon is around too and, as tempting as it seems to order some straight away (the two together are a marriage made in heaven), I must wait. In order to be responsible I need to choose my moment and take only the smallest amount. I have made a promise to Wendy Fogarty, Petersham's forager, to use it only once this year, and so I have resisted for now and have had to think of other, delicious ways to use the agretti.

Agretti, also known as monk's beard, is a marsh grass - which means, essentially, that it is content to grow near the water in salty conditions. It has a certain taste of the sea about it, is vibrant and robust in texture, and tastes good for you.

Each year we use it abundantly on salads, as well as with fish and grilled lamb. Knowing that it will be with us only for a short time, we also pickle large quantities in order to use it later in the year with cured meats and carpaccio. In fact, anywhere that capers or cornichon would be welcome, pickled agretti finds a place. One of my favourite dishes of the summer is vitello tonnato with green tomatoes and pickled agretti - cool sharp tastes on a hot summer's day!

This winter, Lucy who tends our garden, has tried propagating agretti from seed, it has so far failed. I am convinced that if we were to put salt in the soil the seeds may take, but Lucy is much less sure. No doubt we will try again next year and perhaps we will have more luck then.

Skye Gyngell is head chef at Petersham Nurseries, Church Lane, off Petersham Road, Richmond, Surrey, tel: 020 8605 3627

Radicchio, pickled agretti, Parma ham and Parmesan

This is a lovely, fairly simple, late winter salad that would work beautifully as a light starter.

Serves 4

1 medium fennel bulb
1 head of radicchio di Treviso tardivo
75g/3oz aged (preferably) Parmesan
75g/3oz pickled agretti (see recipe overleaf)
125g-175g/4-6oz Parma ham
Sea-salt and black pepper
4tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Remove the tough, fibrous outer leaves from the fennel and slice the rest as finely as possible. Place in a bowl. Break the leaves of the radicchio gently with your fingers and add to the fennel. Slice the Parmesan into wafer-thin slices (don't worry if it becomes crumbly - in fact, it is nicer that way) and add to the bowl. Finally, add the agretti, ham, a little sea-salt and a generous sprinkling of black pepper. Dress with the olive oil and mix gently with your hands. Divide among 4 plates and serve with chewy, peasant-style bread.

Agretti, Portobello mushrooms and crème fraîche on bruschetta

Serves 4

4 Portobello mushrooms
1 bunch of agretti
50ml/2fl oz crème fraîche
4tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
The juice of half a lemon
45g/2oz Parmesan
1 small bunch of mint, leaves only
1 small bunch of basil, leaves only
Sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 slices of ciabatta, pugliese, or pane toscano
1 clove garlic, peeled but left whole

Wipe the mushrooms gently with a dry dish cloth, break off the stems and slice finely. Wash the agretti in 2-3 charges of cold running water, and pick over with your hands, removing the pale pink stem at the end, any woody bits and less than perfect fronds. Place a large pot of water on to boil, and season lightly with salt. When it is boiling vigorously, plunge in the agretti and cook for 2 minutes. Remove and drain in a colander, then set aside.

Place the crème fraîche in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon juice, Parmesan, mint and basil. Season well with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the sliced mushrooms and stir gently to coat them well. The sauce should be gentle, clean and light, and not in any way cloying, so add a little more oil if necessary.

Toast or grill the bread until golden brown, rub with garlic and brush with the remaining olive oil and season with a little sea-salt. Divide the bruschetta among 4 plates, place a spoonful of mushrooms on each piece of toast, followed by a little agretti. Continue this layering until you have run out of ingredients. Serve immediately.

Scallops, agretti and chilli oil

Serves 4

20 scallops, shucked and cleaned
1 large red chilli
5tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch of agretti
The juice of half a lemon
Sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice the chilli in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Using a sharp knife slice it into long, fine strips. Bunch the strips together and chop finely across them so that you end up with neat little squares. Place in a bowl, pour over all but 1tbsp of the olive oil, stir to combine, and set aside.

Clean, cook and drain the agretti as described above. While still warm, dress with a tablespoon of the chilli oil and a squeeze or two of lemon juice.

Place two non-stick (if you have them) frying pans on top of a high heat. Divide the final tablespoon of olive oil (without chilli), between them. Season the scallops quite generously with salt and pepper. When the pans are (omega) very hot add the scallops, dividing them equally (don't overcrowd them or they will stew instead of cook).

Cook for a minute on one side, then 30 seconds on the other. Remove from the heat and squeeze over what is left of the lemon juice. Divide the agretti among 4 plates, place 5 scallops on top of each and spoon over the chilli oil. Serve straight away while the scallops are still piping hot.

Pickled agretti

Makes 1 jar

2 bunches of agretti
Three-quarter bottle of good-quality white wine vinegar
1 medium sized jar (sterilised)

Pick over the agretti, discarding any woody stems and less-than-perfect sprigs. Rinse well under cold running water, pat dry, then pack into the jar. Add enough good-quality vinegar - we use Volpaia - to cover (ensuring the agretti is completely submerged), seal and place in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks. Then refrigerate for long-term storage.

Crab with agretti, winter purslane and green sauce

Serves 4

For the sauce vert

3 egg yolks
The juice of 1 lemon
1tbsp Dijon mustard (omega)
2 anchovy fillets, preserved in oil
1 small bunch of chives, finely chopped
1 small bunch of tarragon, leaves only, finely chopped
1 small bunch of chervil, leaves only, finely chopped
150ml/5fl oz extra-virgin olive oil
Sea-salt and black pepper
2tbsp crème fraîche

For the salad

3-4oz/75g-125g mixed salad leaves, rocket, winter purslane, cicorino rosso
75g/3oz cooked agretti
30ml/1fl oz extra-virgin olive oil
The juice of half a lemon
200g/7oz fresh white crab meat

Place the yolks in a blender along with the lemon juice, Dijon and anchovies. Purée to combine. Add the chives, tarragon and chervil and purée again. Drizzle in the oil very slowly from the funnel in the lid. You are, in a sense, making a mayonnaise. Once all the oil is incorporated, remove the lid and check for seasoning. Fold in the crème fraîche and set aside. (This will make more sauce than you will need but it keeps well and is delicious with many things.)

For the salad, wash and pat dry the leaves, place in a bowl and season. Add the agretti and dress lightly with the olive oil and lemon juice, divide among 4 plates.

Dress the crab with the remaining oil and lemon, season lightly and divide among the salad leaves. Spoon a little sauce on top and serve. It's delicious with sourdough toast.

Q&A Skye answers your culinary queries

You write a lot about cavello nero. What is it, where do you get it, and what's the best thing to do with it?

T Loris

Cavello nero is a member of the brassica family and it orginates from around the region of Tuscany. Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers of the River Café were the first people to bring it to England. It wasn't available until about 10 about years ago and now you can get it in most supermarkets or, if your local greengrocer is a decent one, then they'll probably sell it too. It's coming to the end of the season now. It's planted late in the summer and traditionally picked just after the first frost in November or December. It's a delicious, dark, fibrous inky vegetable. It feels really good to eat. You plunge it into boiling, salted water and cook it for about 2-3 minutes. What I do quite often is separate the tough, fibrous centre stalk from the soft leaves. Then take half of the cooked cavello nero, purée it with a big knob of unsalted butter and some anchovies, then toss it through the rest of the leaves so it's kind of half and half. It is beautiful served with slow-cooked lamb and pork, and also good with roast chicken. You can use it instead of any green vegetable such as broccoli or cabbage.

I'd be very interested to know what your recommendations would be for buying traditional balsamic vinegar in the UK.

Adam Beck

Natoora is an Italian company which brings a really nice range of balsamic and condiments into the UK. You can contact the company by telephone or via its website (tel: 020 7627 1600; www.natoora.co.uk). Also, you can find it in the food halls of big department stores such as Selfridges or Harvey Nichols, and any good Italian deli will sell it - you can try Fratelli Camisa in London, or Valvona & Crolla in Edinburgh. But, wherever you go, the most important thing to do is look for "tradizionale" on the label - it's the mark of authenticity.

Please send your questions for Skye to s.gyngell@independent.co.uk