Coda di rospo con Barba di Frate (Monkfish with Monk's Beard Greens)
Coda di rospo con Barba di Frate (Monkfish with Monk's Beard Greens) is a traditional Vatican City recipe (from the Swiss Guard) for a dish of pan-fried monkfish tail served on a bed of fried vegetables and blanched Monk's beard greens. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Vatican City dish of: Monkfish with Monk's Beard Greens (Coda di rospo con Barba di Frate).
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Monk's beard or Barba di Frate or agretti in Italian (known as 'goat's beard' or 'Johnny go to bed at noon' in England) are the little green shoots of the leaves of Salsola soda that are grown in Tuscany, where they’re only in season for only five weeks of the year. Similar in appearance to samphire, it’s best prepared by light steaming and served with lemon or olive oil. It can also be added to risotto.
Salsola soda is a relative of chicory that's native to Europe and which is thought to have originally been cultivated by the Cappuccino Monks or Capuchin Monks in Tuscany. There are basically two methods of serving the green, which has been compared in taste to chard, spinach, and a variety of other fresh tangy greens. Monk’s beard is often either steamed or boiled, and it may receive a light dressing of olive oil and/or a little lemon juice. Alternately the cooked greens can be added to pasta, or to fish dishes where the slightly bitter taste tends to complement the fish well.
This is prepared in the Vatican by the Swiss Guard chef.
Ingredients:
3 tomatoes, blanched, peeled and cut into 12mm dice
2 bunches agretti (barba di frate)
110g pitted black olives, halved
2 large fennel bulbs, sliced thinly
4 monkfish fillets (about 120g each)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
lemon oil, for drizzling
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C.
Bring a pan with 3l of salted water to a low boil. Cut a cross in the base of each tomato, and blanch briefly (about 1 to 2 minutes). Transfer the tomatoes to ice water for 1 minute to halt the cooking process. Do not discard the water; it will be used to cook the greens.
Peel off the tomato skins, cut into quarters and remove the seeds, then dice into 12mm pieces. Wash, trim and blanch the greens, then place in ice water. Remove and drain.
Cut the olives in half, and cut the fennel bulb into thin slices. Season the fish with salt and black pepper. Heat the olive oil in an oven-safe pan over medium heat. Fry the fish lightly until golden brown. Transfer to the oven and bake the fish for about 4 minutes.
Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat. Fry the fennel for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and olives, and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste.
Arrange the vegetables on warmed serving plates, then add a bed of greens, and arrange the fish on top.
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