A quick lampascioni salad: the wild bulbs of Puglia, soaked overnight to lose some of their bitterness, boiled for at least three hours and dressed with fiaschetto tomatoes, mint, garlic, capers, extra virgin olive oil and a splash of vinegar. A starter or a side dish.

Lampascioni are among the vegetables our regular customers love most and ask for most often. They are the bulbs of a wild hyacinth (Muscari comosum), small, slightly bitter and dug up from the fields, and in a way they are the symbol and the very essence of Puglia at the table: immediate, simple, instinctive, the signature of the region’s food tradition. A tradition that is anything but sophisticated, and that speaks everyone’s language. Apulian lampascioni tell exactly that story: the story of ordinary people who love to sit down and enjoy what their land gives them. Room, then, for what mother earth offers freely and generously, and which needs very little handling to be wonderfully good. Here is how to prepare a quick lampascioni salad and spoil your guests with something simple.

Boiled lampascioni dressed with olive oil, red chilli and chopped herbs

Fresh lampascioni are ideal for this recipe.

Lampascioni salad

The ingredients

This is one of the typical Apulian recipes we love most. It sits happily among the antipasti, but you can also serve it as a side dish with meat or fish.

  • fresh lampascioni
  • fiaschetto tomatoes, a small flask-shaped Apulian variety
  • a few small mint leaves
  • one clove of garlic
  • a few capers
  • Apulian extra virgin olive oil
  • white wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper

How to prepare lampascioni salad

  1. Clean the lampascioni. Wash them very well, because they will certainly be covered in soil, then trim them, removing the tough root and the outer leaves.
  2. Cut a cross into the base of each bulb and leave them to soak in cold water overnight. It takes a little patience, but it is what draws out the excess bitterness.
  3. The next day, boil the lampascioni for at least 3 hours in boiling water with a few aromatics (celery, carrot, parsley).
  4. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into quarters and add oil, garlic, capers and mint leaves. Leave this dressing to take on flavour.
  5. When the lampascioni are cooked, drain them and add them to the dressing. Season with salt and pepper, and add a splash of vinegar if you like.

Lampascioni are not spring onions. They look a little like small onions, but they are the bulb of a wild hyacinth, with a bitter edge all their own. For more about them, see our page on lampascioni, and the other Apulian vegetable recipes.

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