Radish Carpaccio with the Barba di Frate or Monk's Beard Pesto

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Happy Earth Day 2024! 

For me today is a perfect day to express my gratitude to all organic gardeners and farmers. I can only hope that there will be more people who embrace organic farming and strive for the organic certification of their produce. 

Many people consciously choose to eat locally grown produce to reduce their carbon footprint. Unfortunately, "locally grown" does not necessarily means "organic" since conventional farms use tons of agrochemicals such as chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and plant growth regulators. While all these chemicals increase productivity, they can have adverse impact on human health and the environment. 

For maximum nutrition and taste, in many of my raw dishes I try to use seasonal, organically grown produce. This simple radish carpaccio is one such dish. All ingredients are seasonal and organic but unfortunately not all were grown locally. 

To make the pesto I picked up some barba di frate (Salsola soda) also known as agretti, barba dei frati, riscolo, rosciano, roscano agretto. It is an unusual vegetable, or weed, with a rather short harvest season and an exquisite taste. In English it is known as the monk's beard. The plant belongs to the family of Chenopodiaceae and forms small bushes and thrives in the wild in coastal regions of the Mediterranean basin, in the soil with high salinity. It is a halophyte or salt-tolerant, plant. Under special conditions, the plant can also be cultivated in the garden.

The long shoots are very popular among the gourmets in Italy during its growing season in Spring. They are often consumed cooked, but can also be eaten raw. Uncooked they have a slightly tart, salty taste, and are perfect for pesto or in raw salads.

Like any green vegetable, barba di frate  is rich in chlorophyll and fiber. It is also a good source of vitamin A and C, some B vitamins, carotenoids especially lutein, and minerals including calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron. 
 

If you can find barba di frate at your grocery store or the farmers market, give it a try. Otherwise, use wild garlic, mixed foraged wild herbs or any greens of your choice to make the pesto for this simple but healthy radish dish. 
 
I used one medium large purple radish per person and a few small garden radishes for garrnish. Disappointingly, the purple radish turned out to be slightly tough and completely white inside, but had a very nice, sharp taste that perfectly contrasted with the mild tasting garden radishes.
 
You can use daikon radish, black radish or just the garden radishes. Kohlrabi or turnips will work well as well.  
 

Ingredients:
  • thinly sliced radishes (the amount depends on the size of the plate or platter you want to use)
for the pesto
  • 1 1/2 cup roughly chopped barba di frate or any other green herbs you decide to use
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • 1/3 cup raw pine nuts
  • 1 heaping TBS pickled capers (optional)
  • juice of 1/2 large lemon
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/3 cup virgin olive oil 
  • pinch Celtic sea salt to taste
 

Method:
  • In a food processor pulse blend the herbs, garlic, and capers. 
  • Add the nuts, lemon zest and lemon juice and pulse blend for a few seconds. 
  • When you are satisfied with the consistency turn the food processor on low speed and drip in the virgin olive oil. Taste the pesto and add a small pinch of salt, if needed. 
  • Arrange the first layer of sliced radishes on a plate. Add a dollop of pesto to each and cover with the next layer of radishes. Continue until you have a nice rosetta. Top it up with a generous portion of pesto and serve right away. Enjoy in good company!
 

Tip: It is always a good idea to make more pesto and store it in the fridge. Simply transfer the pesto to a glass container, pour generous amount of virgin olive oil completely cover the pesto. Close the container tightly and place it in the fridge. Pesto will store well for at least one week. To use, open the container, stir well and serve.
 
You cannot get through a single day 
without having an impact on the world around you. 
- Jane Goodall
 
Remember, every day is an Earth day.
 
By Dominique Allmon 
 
Dominique Allmon©2024