Picnics and a Spring Quiche with Agretti.

When the weather starts to get warmer and the flowers start to bloom and buzz with bees, all I want to do is lay a blanket on the grass and have a little picnic under the shade of a tree. Like I’ve shared before, there’s hardly nothing more exciting to me than moving meals to an “en plein air” location. Maybe it’s the fact it’s a new set-up each time, maybe because it’s a more relaxed way to approach food, or maybe it’s just the beautiful surroundings and sounds of nature creating the perfect backdrop. Even if the current quarantine confines us at home, we’re fortunate enough to have a porch and quite big yard with plenty of trees. Picnics can still happen!

What’s in our picnic basket, usually? Salami, bread, cheese, wine, ca va sans dire. We also love to prepare dishes that are portable and highlight ingredients the season has to offer (like peperonata in the summertime, or frittata with foraged herbs in the springtime). Quiches are a great picnic food because they’re portable and a wonderful “vessel” for any seasonal ingredient. Quiches are also my go-to weeknight meal when I have to use up what I have left in the fridge. Ham or pancetta, cheese, or veggies: a quiche will welcome them all. This is why I always keep ricotta and puff pastry in my fridge — a little trick I learned from my mom!

A NEW DISCOVERY: AGRETTI or MONK’S BEARD

Today I am particularly excited about a vegetable I only recently discovered, that’s just perfect for quiches (and frittata or pasta dishes) : Agretti!  I bought my first bunch the other day, out of curiosity. It’s definitely not a common sight up here in the North and even in other parts of Italy it seems to disappear rather quickly! Agretti is available only during spring, and for a short period of time — right for this reason, it’s considered a delicacy and cause of excitement.

Agretti is also known as Barba del Frate (Monk’s Beard in English, or Salsola Soda in latin). Native to the Mediterranean area, it can be easily mistaken for chives, but with slightly thicker and longer leaves. Agretti’s flavor is similar to spinach, but with more of a crunch and a brighter and fresher taste! A simple way to eat it? As a side dish, just sautéed with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Spaghetti with Agretti (cute rhyme!?) is also an easy way to enjoy it. I love how it twines itself up nicely with spaghetti, creating a very cool eye-catching effect!

SPRING QUICHE WITH AGRETTI

Making this quiche was super easy. I simply combined the cooked agretti with staple ingredients like ricotta, eggs and grated parmesan cheese. A bit of nutmeg, salt and that’s it! This Spring Quiche with Agretti is somewhat reminiscent of torta salata con spinaci or torta pasqualina.

If you like, you can make your own puff pastry but I prefer to use the store-bought one. It’s probably the ONE ingredient I buy “already made”. Here in Italy, you can easily find good-quality sheets of puff pastry in the refrigerated aisle of any grocery store. You can choose between square and round, and I’ve also seen some gluten-free options. I wish it was the same in the US!

.I love this quiche and I will definitely make it again for our next spring picnic. Now, let me dust off the picnic basket and pick out a great spot in our yard!

If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and share your photos on IG and tag me with #veryeatalian! Thanks!

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Spring Quiche with Agretti

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4

Author Very EATalian

Ingredients

• 250 g (9 oz) Agretti (Monk's Beard) clean, ends trimmed
• 1 clove garlic
• extra-virgin Olive Oil
• 200 g (7 oz) ricotta
• 3 eggs (divided)
• 50 g (1/2 c) grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• salt
• a pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 sheet of puff pastry

Instructions

1. In a medium size pan, over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and a clove of garlic. Then add agretti and cook until it softens but still retains a little crunch to the bite, about 6 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, stir with a spoon and remove pan from the heat.

2. In a medium bowl, make quiche filling by combining ricotta, 2 eggs, grated cheese, salt and nutmeg. Using kitchen scissors, roughly cut the cooled agretti into smaller pieces. Stir agretti into the quiche filling and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

3. Preheat oven to 200°C (390F) .

4. Grease and flour a 25 cm-wide (10 inch) tart pan and line it with a sheet of puff pastry (if your puff pastry isn't round, roll it out to properly fit the pan). Poke dough with a fork and then fill it with the agretti filling.

5. Trim excess dough. Fold and pinch the quiche borders and brush them with a beaten egg. Bake the quiche for about 20-25 minutes, until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.