I love green leafy things like kale and broccoli and rapini (not spinach – too flimsy). So when I saw this at Portobello market, I had to know what it is ...
... puntarelle
Great name, isn’t it? It sounds beautifully romantic – a romantic green.
Two additional facts that add to the romance: it is only available for a very short period of time at the beginning of the year and hails from Italy.
There are two parts to it. The long outer leaves and the small shoots in the middle, as you can see once it's cut through the middle.
Both parts taste bitter (so I would only recommend this if you like bitter flavours), and the outer leaves should be cooked while the inner leaves can be eaten raw.
That’s my friend Kyra’s hands in the photo. She led the charge on making a salad with the inner leaves, which we tossed into a simple tomato and cucumber salad. But, I hear the proper way to eat the salad is with a lime and anchovy dressing, like this recipe on The Guardian's website.
The lady who sold me the puntarelle had this salad made for her by an Italian customer so she could taste it for herself. It sounds delicious but, when I went back to the market to buy another puntarelle and try it the proper way, the season was already over. Now, I will have to wait another year to try it out – something to look forward to next winter!
As I love my greens with eggs, I steamed the outer leaves, put them on some toasted seedy bread and topped it all off with poached eggs.
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