SOUP SEASON CONTINUES

 

Here's a soup to get you through the winter.

 

This is the longest running soup season that I can remember, a winter during which I may never eat salad or other cold dish for lunch. This week’s selection is a fairly new addition to my soup rotation. I included this recipe for Sopa Morisca in my new cookbook, FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, The Culinary Legacy of Spain (Hippocrene Books). 

Sopa Morisca, or “Moorish” Soup, is from Almería and Granada provinces in southern Spain, the region that was the refuge of the Muslim population after the fall of the last Moorish kingdom of Granada, in 1492. These people, called Moriscos, were ostensibly converted to Christianity and allowed to remain. They were finally expelled from Christian Spain in 1609. 

This hearty soup is sort of a cross between Spanish sopa de picadillo that is made with the broth from a cocido, with chickpeas, chicken, and fideo noodles, and Moroccan harira soup, which may have lentils as well as chickpeas.  As made today the soup has a base of chopped tomatoes and is seasoned with pimentón (paprika). As those ingredients come from the New World, I omitted them from the recipes in the cookbook as they are not flavors of al-Andalus. To tell the truth, I like to finish the soup with a spoonful of harissa, Moroccan hot-chile paste!  

A heart-warming soup for cold weather--vegetables, chickpeas, and fideo noodles. Chicken optional.

This recipe for Morisca Soup appears in FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS.

Morisca Soup with Chickpeas and Noodles from Almería

Sopa Morisca Almeriense

This recipe uses canned or precooked chickpeas, so is fairly quick to prepare. (If you are starting out with dry chickpeas, put them to soak in hot water the evening before cooking. Drain and add to fresh hot water. Cook until chickpeas are tender, about 1 ½ hours.) 

Fideo noodles, like vermicelli, come in sizes from the thinnest angel’s hair to medium-thick. For this recipe, use medium-thick ones or substitute spaghetti broken into short lengths.

 

Serves 4.

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onions

½ cup diced celery

½ cup diced carrots

½ teaspoon coarse salt

3 cloves garlic

Pinch of saffron threads

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

8 cups chicken stock or water

Salt

1 ½ cups cooked and drained chickpeas

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 cup medium fideo noodles

1 cup diced cooked chicken (optional)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Sprigs of fresh mint

Chopped cooked egg, to garnish

Lemon wedges, to serve

Bread to accompany the soup

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Sauté the onions, celery and carrots on medium heat 5 minutes. While onions are sautéing, in a mortar grind the coarse salt with the garlic, saffron, peppercorns and cumin. Stir this mixture into the pot with the vegetables.

Add the stock or water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Add salt to taste. Add the chickpeas, half of the parsley and the cilantro. Cook, covered, until vegetables are very tender, 15 minutes. Add the fideo noodles and cook them according to package directions, 12 minutes for medium fideos. Add the cooked chicken, if using, and remove the soup from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice. 

Serve the soup with sprigs of mint and chopped egg. Accompany the soup with lemon wedges and bread.

I've added a spoonful of Moroccan harissa, hot-chile paste, and some chard from the garden to the basic soup recipe. 

***   ***   ***

Here's a collection of regional Spanish soup recipes, from Basque leek and potato to garbure Navarra, that will see you through the final six weeks of winter.   READY FOR SOUP 

FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS 

The Culinary Legacy of Spain

FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, The Culinary Legacy of Spain. Here's a fresh angle on the traditional cooking of Spain, with 120 recipes that trace their roots to Moorish Spain. See below for where to order. 

This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking. 

Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times. Dishes from this era include exotic spices such as saffron, the use of fruits and almonds with savory dishes, and honeyed sweets and pastries. The flavors of al-Andalus live on in modern Spanish cooking and are what makes Spain’s cuisine distinctive from the rest of Europe. (Hippocrene Books)    

 Order on IndiePubs (USA) 

Use PROMO CODE HIPPOCRENE40 for 40% off on all Hippocrene titles at IndiePubs online bookstore.

***

Order on amazon (USA)

Order on amazon.es  (Spain)

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(If you order on Amazon, please give my book a review!)

***

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CALDERETA—A TRADITIONAL LAMB STEW

 

Lamb stew with potatoes and herbs.

    I´ve been craving lamb stew, the sort of aromatic, slow-cooked meal that’s perfect for cold weather. 

    

    Shoulder meat would be ideal for stew, but I can never bring myself to cut up a gorgeous shoulder or leg of lamb for stew meat. So I boned out several lamb shanks, using the bones to make broth and cutting the meat into chunks. Other possibilities for stew are necks, lamb riblets, flank or breast meat. 

     Caldereta is a very traditional lamb stew, found all along the shepherds’ migratory routes from Aragon and Navarra to La Mancha, Extremadura and Andalusia. A caldereta is a “cauldron” or iron pot for cooking on a woodfire. In its rustic, shepherds’ versions, the stew, eaten with bread, is chunks of meat, lamb or young goat, braised with wine and wild herbs with the possible addition of wild mushrooms or wild artichokes. Domesticated, the stew usually has onions and peppers as well and is served with potatoes as well as bread.  

Typically, the stew is thickened with pieces of fried lamb’s liver, mashed to a paste with garlic. If you can’t get lamb’s liver, substitute chicken livers. Or thicken the sauce with a slice of bread, fried in oil and processed to a paste.     

Stew is brown. Maybe that’s what inspired me to scatter a handful of ruby-red pomegranate kernels on the finished dish. And, once that was part of the plan, why not add a spoonful of tangy-sweet pomegranate molasses to the stew? No, this is not authentically Spanish. Pomegranates are used in Spanish cooking, but the thick, dark syrup is a Middle Eastern product. 

Pomegranate adds a pop of color to lamb stew with a side of fried potatoes.

Lamb simmers with wine and aromatic herbs until very tender. The sauce is thickened with a paste made of lamb's liver blended with garlic and spices.  

Lamb Stew

Caldereta de Cordero

Fried liver (top) to thicken the stew.

Serves 4-6.

2 pounds boneless lamb

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup olive oil plus additional for frying potatoes

4 ounces lamb’s liver or a slice of bread, crusts removed

4 cloves garlic

1 ½ cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped red and/or green pepper

1 ½ teaspoons smoked pimentón (paprika)

½ cup grated tomato pulp

¾ cup white wine

3 cups lamb broth or water plus additional for the blender 

2 bay leaves

Sprigs of thyme

Sprigs of rosemary

Peppercorns

2 cloves

2-3 potatoes

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (optional)

Chopped parsley

Pomegranate kernels to garnish (optional)

Cut the lamb into 2-inch chunks, discarding excess fat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet or stew pan such as a Dutch oven. Cut the liver into 1-inch pieces and fry it on moderate heat until browned. (If using bread instead of liver, fry the bread until crisped.) Remove the liver from the pan and put it in a blender..

Lightly crush the garlic, but do not peel the cloves. Add them to the oil with the lamb. Fry the meat on moderately high heat until nicely browned. Skim out the meat and garlic cloves. Peel the garlics and put them in the blender with the liver. Reserve the lamb.

Fresh herbs flavor the stew.

Add the onions and red/green peppers to the pan. Reduce the heat and sauté gently until onions are quite soft, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the pimentón and fry 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato pulp. Cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add the wine. Raise the heat and cook off the alcohol, 2 minutes. Return the pieces of lamb and any juices to the pan. Add enough lamb broth to almost cover the meat. Add the bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Season with salt to taste. Cover and cook the stew 15 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Continue cooking the lamb until tender, about 25 minutes longer.

While the stew is cooking, crush the peppercorns and cloves in a mortar. Add the crushed spices to the blender with the liver and garlic. Add enough additional stock or water to allow the blender to function, about ¼ cup. Blend to make a smooth paste.

Potatoes fried in olive oil.

Liver blended to thicken sauce.

    Cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Heat oil in a skillet and fry the potatoes until they are browned and just cooked through. Drain the potatoes on absorbent paper. The potatoes can be finished right in the stew or served as a side.

Pomegranate molasses.

   When the lamb is tender, stir the blender mixture into the stew. Stir in the pomegranate molasses, if using. If desired, add the fried potatoes to the stew or serve them as a side. Cook the stew, uncovered, 10 minutes more until the sauce is thickened. Stir in a handful of chopped parsley.

Serve the stew with the fried potatoes, garnished, if desired, with pomegranate kernels.

More recipes for lamb stews and braises:

Lamb Stew with Red Peppers (Caldereta).

Lamb Stew with Peppers (Chilindrón).

Lamb Shanks with Prunes.

Lamb and Bean Stew.

Lamb Riblets with Garlic Sauce.

VEGETABLE SOUP—HOW TO STEP UP YOUR GAME

The secret to better vegetable soup: double the quantity of olive oil.

I’m big on soup. While the weather stays cold, I make a new pot of soup a couple times a week: Last week there were turkey-mushroom-barley; black bean-green chile-vegetable, and puree of broccoli, cauliflower and cheese. My go-to favorite soup is an all-vegetable soup, a Spanish take on minestrone, with beans, lots of different vegetables and either pasta or a grain. My soups, some vegetarian, some not, are delicious, satisfying.

But I just stepped up my soup game. I came across a recipe clipping for Niçoise Vegetable Soup (Gourmet, June 1977) that called for a half-cup of olive oil, eight cups of water and about 10 cups vegetables and legumes. The soup was finished with a pistou made with another ½ cup of olive oil. That’s more than twice as much oil as I’ve been using in vegetable soup. What a revelation! The results were about twice as good as my regular soup.

Picking kale from the garden for soup.

Today’s soup is made with vegetables I’ve got in the garden and the fridge. There’s always onions or leeks, carrots and celery. I’m picking kale from the garden. Towards the end of cooking time, I’ll add diced potatoes, squash and zucchini, vegetables that would turn to mush if cooked longer. At the very end, I add a handful of broccoli florets for a crisp finish.  

Slice, dice or julienne the vegetables? It’s your choice. If you shred or cut them in julienne matchsticks, you can call it sopa juliana. Personally, I like the veggies diced. I like to chop the onions finely (food processor avoids the tears) and melt them in the olive oil. 

Slice, dice or shred the veggies?

Vegetable choices. (8-10 cups of diced vegetables) Onions, Leeks, Carrots, Turnips, Celery, Celery root, Rutabaga, Squash, Zucchini, Shallots, Red and/or green bell pepper, Kale, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Escarole, Green beans, Fava beans, Peas, Chard, Spinach, Potatoes, Beets.

Legumes. I have cooked black-eyed peas in the freezer (cooked in quantity for New Year’s), so they’re the legume of choice. Any cooked (or canned) beans can be used: cannellini beans, butter beans, black or pinto beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, lentils. A Spanish home cook might use leftover chickpeas, vegetables and soup stock from a previous day’s cocido for a tasty and quick vegetable soup.

Herbs and spices. The Spanish manifestation of vegetable soup usually is flavored with pimentón (paprika), either regular, not smoked, or smoked pimentón de la Vera. Smoked pimentón is especially good in vegetarian soups. Parsley and maybe a bay leaf are the principal herbs. In the winter, when fresh herbs are slim pickings, I like to use dried basil. No, it’s nothing like fresh basil, but it gives an appetizing sweetness to the vegetable mélange. Herbs (fresh or dried) and spices to use: oregano, basil, sage, thyme, rosemary, parsley, pimentón, chile powder, cumin, ras el hanout, curry powder—

Choose a carb. Vegetable soup needs a grain or another carbohydrate to make it more substantial. Whole grains such as barley or brown rice are terrific, because they don’t overcook. Or, double the quantity of diced potato. I like soup pasta such as small elbow macaroni. If the soup is going to be made and reheated over several days (perfect for a household of one or two persons), I cook the pasta separately and add it to each portion of soup.  

Add-ins. A big pot of soup is a good excuse to use up leftovers in the fridge. Cooked spinach, peas, green beans can get thrown in when the soup is nearly finished. Other add-ins: hummus, mashed potatoes, gravy, sausage, chorizo, ham, bacon, meatballs (raw or cooked)

Liquid. The vegetables cook in water, but, if available, chicken stock, bone broth, vegetable stock or tomato juice can be substituted for all or part of the water. 

Toppings. Finish the soup with flavorful add-ons or toppings. A few suggestions: garlic-pimentón oil (recipe below); grated cheese; alioli (garlic mayonnaise); pistou or pesto; fried garlic croutons; harissa (Moroccan chile paste); chopped hard-cooked eggs; chopped scallions; chopped fresh herbs; guindillas (pickled green chilies).

Use 1/2 cup or more of extra virgin olive oil for the soup.

And, don’t forget the secret ingredient for building a better vegetable soup: extra virgin olive oil, lots of it. Olive oil contributes flavor, texture, richness and, yes, calories. Good, healthful calories.

Serve soup accompanied by bread or toasts "buttered" with olive oil. 

Add a topping of olive oil with sliced garlic, chile, pimentón and parsley.

Vegetable Soup

Sopa de Verduras

Substitute stock or broth for all or part of the water. 

Top each serving of soup with a spoonful of spicy Golden Garlic and Pimentón Sauce. Accompany with bread or toasts. 

Serves 6.

½ cup (or more) olive oil

1 ½ cups chopped onions and/or leeks

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

¼ cup chopped red bell pepper

1 teaspoon smoked pimentón (paprika)

½ cup grated tomato pulp or crushed canned tomatoes

1 ½ cup cooked or canned beans or chickpeas

8 cups water, chicken stock or bone broth

1 ½ cups chopped kale, chard or spinach

1 bay leaf

Dried herbs, to taste

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup diced butternut squash

2 cups diced zucchini

1 cup diced potatoes

1 cup soup pasta, such as shells

Broccoli florets or sliced romano green beans

Golden Garlic and Pimentón Sauce to serve (recipe follows) 

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onions, leeks and garlic and sauté them on moderate heat until they begin to turn golden, 10 minutes. Add carrots, celery and red pepper and sauté 3 minutes more. Stir in the pimentón and immediately add the tomato pulp and cooked beans. Add the water, kale, bay leaf, herbs, salt and pepper. (If using water rather than stock, season with at least 1 teaspoon salt or to taste.) 

Bring the soup to a boil, then simmer, covered, until vegetables are almost tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the squash, zucchini and potatoes. Either cook the pasta in the soup or else cook it separately and add to the soup before serving. Bring the soup again to a boil and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are cooked, about 10 minutes. Add the broccoli or sliced green beans during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

Golden Garlic and Pimentón Sauce

Ajada para Sopa

Omit the diced ham for vegetarian soup.

¼ cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced crosswise

1 red chile, sliced crosswise (or to taste)

1 tablespoon diced serrano ham

1 teaspoon smoked pimentón (paprika)

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a small skillet. Fry the sliced garlic until it begins to turn golden. Do not let it brown. Add the chile and ham. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the pimentón and immediately add the vinegar. Keep the sauce warm. Immediately before using, stir in the chopped parsley. Use 1 or 2 teaspoons of the sauce for each serving of soup.

More vegetable soups:

Galician Soup with Beans and Greens.

Navarra Pork and Vegetable Soup (Garbure).

Pottage with Kale and Beans.

Mallorcan "Dry" Soup with Cabbage.

Tomato Soup with Bacon.

WEATHER FORECAST: COOK UP A STORM

The TV weather persons are on a roll. Their shivers of excitement are palpable as they announce “historic snowfalls,” “minus-15ºC temperatures” (centigrade),” “gale-force winds” and, in the south where I live, “aviso naranja” (orange alert) for heavy rainfall. Considering that most of the year the weather in Spain is so benign—blue skies and warm temps, day after day--that the forecasters might play a tape and go home early, they might be forgiven for thrilling to the extremes.

I’m shivering, too, just viewing the meter-long icicles hanging from weathered roofs in northern Spain and heaps of snow blocking the Puerta del Sol in the center of Madrid. So I looked to the northern cuisines for what to cook to ward off the chill. Zamora, a province in northwestern Spain in the Castilla y León region, is known for a robust rice dish chock full of meat and sausage. A far cry from sunny paella, arroz zamorano contains sausages, pork, ham and not a bit of saffron.

Zamora-style rice,  with pork and sausages, bakes in a cazuela. Just the meal for wintery weather.

When the rice is made for the annual matanza, or hog slaughtering, when hams are salted for curing, sausages hung to air-dry and fresh pork loin conserved in confit of lard, it might contain various pig parts—belly, feet, ears, snout—boiled to make a flavorful broth in which to cook the rice. An everyday version, without the feet and ears, can be made with pork loin, ham and sausages 

Pork belly (panceta) is fresh, unsalted, unsmoked bacon. It adds unctuousness to the rice. Chorizo adds more fat as well as color—ruddy pimentón with which the chorizo is seasoned. 

I started with a thick shoulder pork chop (chuleta de aguja). I cut out the bone and used it to make pork broth for cooking the rice. The meat I cut in bite-sized pieces and cooked with the rice instead of loin. The shoulder stays juicier than loin, in my opinion. 

A cazuela—earthenware cooking vessel—can be used, with great care, on a gas flame or, rustic style, in the hearth on a wood fire. Since I switched to an induction cooktop, I can no longer use my clay cazuelas on the stove. Two alternatives—cook the rice in a metal pan (such as a paella pan) on top of the stove or fry the meat and make the sofrito in a skillet and transfer them to a cazuela to bake in the oven. On this cold and rainy day, I’m opting for turning on the oven.

Calories to keep you warm! Pork belly and shoulder meat, link sausages and chorizo cook with the rice. A simple sofrito is the starting point.

A Tempranillo wine from D.O. Toro, Arribes or Tierra del Vino (wine regions of Zamora) would be perfect with the heart-warming rice dish.

Rice in Cazuela, Zamora Style

Cazuela de Arroz a la Zamorana

 

Use Spanish medium-grain, round rice, the same type as for paella, preferably the Bomba variety. Bomba rice is forgiving, cooking “al dente” without becoming mushy as other varieties can do if not carefully timed. Use double the quantity of liquid to the volume of rice, e.g., 3 cups broth to 1 ½ cups rice to produce a “dry” rice. If you prefer the rice a little juicier, meloso, add another ½ cup of broth during the last 5 minutes of baking. Don't stir the rice once it is distributed in the cazuela.

Vary the quantities of meat and sausage to suit yourself. Use loin instead of shoulder, if preferred. Include ham, if you like. Pieces of cooked and deboned pigs’ feet are authentic. 

Use either regular pimentón (paprika) or smoked pimentón. (I used ½ teaspoon sweet (dulce) smoked pimentón and ½ teaspoon hot (picante) smoked pimentón.)

If fresh tomatoes aren’t available, use 2 tablespoons of canned tomato sauce (tomate frito) or 2 teaspoons of concentrate stirred into ¼ cup of water. Canned pimiento can be substituted for the red bell pepper.

Serves 4-6.

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 links fresh pork sausage (6 ounces)

2 semi-cured chorizos (5-6 ounces), sliced

1 ½-inch slab of fresh or unsmoked bacon (panceta) 

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

8 ounces boneless pork shoulder

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon pimentón (paprika)

¼ cup white wine 

½ cup grated tomato pulp

1 ½ cups rice

3 cups pork bone broth or chicken stock (+ additional if needed)

Spigs of thyme

1 bay leaf

Brown sausages and panceta.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Fry the pork link sausages and sliced chorizo until they are browned. Remove them and reserve.

Slice the panceta crosswise into ½-inch strips. Fry them in the fat remaining in the skillet. Skim out when they are browned. 

Add the onion, garlic and red pepper to the skillet and sauté on medium heat 2 minutes. Cut the pork shoulder into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Add the pork to the skillet. When the pork is browned, stir in the pimentón. Immediately add the wine. Let the alcohol cook off. Add the tomato pulp. Cook the mixture 5 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked away. 

Sofrito of onions, garlic and  red pepper.

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Bring the pork broth to a boil.

Stir the rice into the sofrito and pork in the skillet and cook 1 minute. Scrape the rice, pork and sofrito into an oven-safe cazuela. Spread it out. Tuck the link sausages, sliced chorizo and strips of panceta into the rice. Pour in 3 cups of the hot broth. Taste the liquid and add salt if necessary. Add sprigs of thyme and bay leaf to the cazuela. Very carefully transfer the cazuela to the oven.

Bake the rice, uncovered, 20 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed. If you taste the rice it should be tender, but al dente. Remove the cazuela from the oven. Cover it with foil and allow it to set 5 minutes before serving.

More recipes for rice in cazuela:

Baked Rice with Sausage and Egg Crust.

Baked Rice with Seafood.

Everything you need to know about chorizo here.

More about cazuelas and clay pot cooking here.

WELCOME TO WINTER VEGETABLES

 

Inspiration! Leafy chard heralds winter vegetables.

The chard, kale and broccoli in my huerta (vegetable garden) won’t be ready until, at least, the winter solstice. But the markets already are heaped with autumn-to-winter produce. It was this bunch of leafy chard that inspired me to cook up a menestra, a vegetable medley featuring winter vegetables.

Menestra comes from the same Latin root (ministrare, “to dish up”) as Italian minestra and minestrone. In Spain, it’s not a soup but a vegetable mélange, incorporating both fresh seasonal vegetables and vegetables en conserva, canned ones. 

In home-style meals, menestra is typically served as a starter, instead of soup, to be followed by a main course of meat, or else as a main dish for a lighter lunch or supper. Restaurants dish up a simplified menestra as a side dish (find it in the frozen foods section). 

The menestra I learned to make in Andalusia, with fava beans and peas, usually has tomatoes—fresh ones or canned tomate frito. But the menestra of Navarra, La Rioja and Euskadi (Basque Country) does not. Sometimes, though, it has enough pimentón, paprika, to give it a reddish color.

Chard, carrots, beans, potatoes cooked in a savory sauce are topped with a refrito of garlic and ham. 

Chard stems and leaves are like two different vegetables in one.

Serve menestra as a starter or light main dish.

Garnish the dish with cooked egg or add a poached egg per person for a more substantial dish.

Serving options: press the menestra into a circular mold. I added cauliflower to the mélange on the second day.

While this is a very old and traditional dish, it has plenty of “modern” interpretations. Traditionally, the vegetables are very well cooked. Overcooked, we might say today. And finished in a flour-thickened sauce. Newer versions call for cooking the veggies al dente or even grilling them, then combining in a sauce made with pureed vegetables. Sometimes the chard greens are chopped, rolled into balls, dipped in flour and beaten egg and fried. Served with the menestra, they give textural contrast. Dress up the humble menestra with lashings of ibérico ham on top and alongside. Turn menestra into a vegetarian main by using vegetable stock, omitting the ham and serving with egg. 

Use chicken stock or the vegetable cooking water to finish cooking the vegetables. A pinch of baking soda to cook the chard stems keeps them nice and green. However, the cooking liquid tends to darken if it sets. 

Other vegetables to use in the menestra are borage (borraja), cardoons (cardo), broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms or canned vegetables such as artichokes. (See the link below for a recipe for springtime menestra with fresh artichokes, asparagus, peas and fava beans.) 

I’m making a traditional menestra—a very comforting dish for winter. 

Medley of Winter Vegetables 

Menestra de Verduras de Invierno

Serves 6 as a starter or side; 4 as a main dish.

1 ½-pound bunch of chard

Pinch of baking soda

3 carrots (10 ounces)

1-2 potatoes (10 ounces)

6-8 ounces romano (flat) green beans

8 ounces cauliflower florets

Salt

7 tablespoons olive oil

1leek, sliced 

½ cup chopped onions

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups stock or vegetable water

3-4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

1 ounce diced serrano ham

Eggs, hard-boiled or poached (optional)

Separate the stems and leaves of the chard. Strip away fibrous threads from the stems and cut them into 2-inch lengths. Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Add a pinch of baking soda and the chard stems. Cook them until tender when pierced with a knife, about 8 minutes. Skim the chard out with a slotted spoon and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.

Roll and slice chard leaves into ribbons.

Slice the chard greens into ribbons. Add them to the pan of boiling water and cook until they are very tender, 10 minutes. Drain the chard leaves in a colander, pressing out excess liquid.

Bring another pan of salted water to a boil. Cook the carrots until tender, 10 minutes. Remove them and rinse in cold water. Cook the potatoes until tender, 10 minutes, and drain them. Cook the green beans to desired doneness, 4 minutes for crisp-tender, 12 minutes for very well cooked. Drain well. (If desired, keep the cooking water to finish cooking the vegetables in their sauce.)

Bring a fresh pot of water to a boil and add the cauliflower. Cook until crisp-tender, 4 minutes, and drain. Refresh in cold water.

Cook each vegetable separately before combining in the sauce. In the center are chard stems. Clockwise from the top are chard leaves, sliced leeks, green beans, sliced garlic, carrots, potatoes and diced serrano ham.

In a cazuela or deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil. Sauté the leeks and onions until they are very soft, 10 minutes. Moderate the heat so the onions don’t brown. 

Add the cooked carrots, potatoes and cauliflower to the pan with 1 tablespoon more oil. Sauté these vegetables 4 minutes. Move them to the outer edge of the pan and add the flour. Drizzle the flour with 1 tablespoon oil and stir to mix it in. Then stir the flour into the vegetables.

Use stock or vegetable cooking water for sauce.

Add the stock or vegetable water. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Cook it gently 5 minutes. Add the beans, chard stems and chard leaves. Combine well and cook gently until all the vegetables are thoroughly heated.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet. Add the sliced garlic and fry it until it just begins to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and add the diced ham.

Retrito of garlic and ham.

    Serve the vegetables and sauce on a platter or in a bowl and spoon the garlic, ham and oil on top. Add quartered cooked eggs or poached eggs, if desired.

More menestra:

Springtime Vegetable Stew.

Flatbreads (Coca) with Mushroom-Artichoke Mélange (Menestra).

More recipes with chard:

Rainbow Chard with Apricots and Pine Nuts.

Meatloaf in Chard Leaves.

Vegetable-Sausage Stew with Chard (Berza).

Stuffed Chard Stems.

Chard with Raisins and Pine Nuts.