This Roman spring stew is lovely on its own with some bread, or as part of a spring lunch.
La vignarola (Roman spring stew)
Broad beans, artichokes and asparagus, gently simmered in broth, then scattered with herbs. This is a dish made for spring.
- 30 mins preparation
- 30 mins cooking
- Serves 4
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Ingredients
- 8 globe artichokes, stalks trimmed
- 400 gm each podded peas and broad beans (about 1.2kg unpodded)
- 1½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 4 spring onions, thickly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 6 prosciutto slices, coarsely torn
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and halved
- 400 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 cups mint, coarsely chopped (loosely packed)
- ¾ cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped (firmly packed)
- Finely grated rind and juice of ½ lemon
- To serve: crusty white bread
Method
Main
- 1Blanch artichokes, in batches, until just tender (8-10 minutes). Cool slightly, peel away outer green leaves and trim tops by 2cm, then remove hairy choke with a teaspoon. Set aside.
- 2Blanch peas and broad beans separately until just tender (2-4 minutes), refresh in iced water, drain, then peel broad beans and set aside.
- 3Heat olive oil in a wide shallow saucepan over medium heat, add spring onion, garlic and prosciutto, sauté until tender (5-10 minutes), add artichoke, asparagus and stock, cover and simmer over low heat until artichoke is very tender (5-10 minutes). Add peas and beans, cover and simmer until very tender (3-5 minutes). Add mint, parsley, lemon rind and juice, cook until herbs wilt (1 minute). Drizzle with extra olive oil, serve warm with bread.
Notes
Drink Suggestion: Roman dry white such as Frascati. Drink suggestion by Max Allen