Menestra de verduras

Ingredients

Tap an ingredient to tick it off.

• 8 artichokes

• 250 g shelled peas

• 250 g shelled young broad beans

• 250 g green beans

• 8 asparagus tips

• 2 carrots

• 4 small potatoes

• 100 g serrano ham, diced

• 1 spring onion

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 lemon (for the artichokes)

• Salt

Preparation

1. 01Prepare the vegetablesTrim the tough leaves off the artichokes and keep them in lemon water so they do not darken. Shell the peas and broad beans, cut the green beans, scrape the carrots and peel the potatoes.
2. 02Cook each vegetable separatelyIn salted water, cook each vegetable to its point: artichokes and potatoes first, then carrots and green beans, and last peas, broad beans and asparagus. They should be tender but firm. Keep a glass of the cooking water.
3. 03Drain and coolLift each vegetable out with a slotted spoon as soon as it is done and drain it well. If you are going to combine them right away there is no need to cool them, but they should not keep cooking in their own heat.
4. 04Make the baseIn a wide pot, heat the oil and gently soften the chopped spring onion. Add the ham and fry it for a couple of minutes without letting it dry out.
5. 05Combine and simmerAdd the vegetables, stir gently so as not to break them and add a splash of the reserved cooking water. Leave on low heat for about 10 minutes so the flavours come together.
6. 06Adjust and serveTaste and correct the salt (the ham already adds some). Let it rest a few minutes and serve hot, in an earthenware dish if possible.

Variations

• The La Rioja version with chard, cardoon and borage, in which the artichokes and chard are coated in flour and egg before being sautéed.
• A version with a light sauce of flour and meat or stew broth, instead of just oil and cooking water.
• The Navarrese menestra from Tudela is made without flour or stock, with each vegetable cooked separately.