Roman Stewed Spring Vegetables
La Vignarola, stewed spring vegetables, is a simple dish that’s a real crowd-pleaser in Rome this time of year and you can be eating some in about 30 minutes.
Quickly braise each of the 3 spring vegetables separately. Brown guanciale or pancetta with a little extra virgin olive oil. Add the vegetables to the pan along with some of the cooking liquid to make a light broth.
When everything is heated through put the vegetables on a serving platter. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and your ready to eat. Serve La Vignarola as a side-dish or as a first course with a hunk of rustic bread to sop up the flavorful broth.
The sweetness of the peas is mellowed by the meaty fava beans and tender sliced artichoke hearts. With your first bite you know spring has arrived.
I’ll be in Roma soon and my Roman friend Luca and his crew will shoot a couple of episodes while I shop the outdoor markets and cook in our apartment kitchen near the Spanish Steps. You might have noticed I’ve been cooking Roman dishes lately to get in the groove.
We shot 2 new episodes last week at Cookhouse in North Beach as a run-up to my Italy trip. Watch me making a Roman favorite for your antipasti or afternoon snack (uno spuntino) and a classic main course from Naples. We’ll post the first one real soon.
Buon appetito!
- 4 small artichokes
- 2 pounds fava beans
- 2 pounds spring peas
- 2 ounces guanciale or pancetta, cut into small cubes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 green onions
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Squeeze the juice of a lemon into a bowl of water. As you clean the artichokes, put them in the acidulated water until your ready to braise them all. (This keeps the artichokes from oxidizing and turning brown.)
- Pull off the tough outer leaves of the artichokes until you get to leaves that are light green-yellow in color.
- Cut off the dark top of the artichoke.
- Cut off the stem evenly and peel off any green tough skin on the artichoke base.
- With a spoon, scoop out the choke (small purple leaves and fuzzy center) in the middle of artichoke. (If your using baby artichokes, they won’t have developed a choke yet.)
- Shell the peas and set aside in a bowl.
- Shell the fava beans, remove the skin and set aside in a bowl.
- Put a cup of water in a small pot over medium-high heat and add the artichokes.
- When the water boils cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low.
- Braise the artichokes until they are knife tender, about 10 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, remove the artichokes to a bowl and set aside to cool.
- Add more water to the pot if necessary, raise the heat to medium-high and add the fava beans.
- When the water boils cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low.
- Braise the fava beans until tender, about 7 minutes. (Don’t over cook the fava beans or they’ll lose their bright green color.)
- With a slotted spoon, remove the fava beans to the bowl with the artichokes.
- Add more water to the pot if necessary, raise the heat to medium-high and add the peas.
- When the water boils cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low.
- Braise the peas until tender, about 5 minutes. (Don’t over cook the peas or they’ll lose their bright green color.)
- With a slotted spoon, remove the peas to the bowl with the other vegetables.
- Save the vegetable cooking water.
- Cut the artichokes in half and cut the artichoke half in 1-inch slices and put the slices back in the bowl with the other vegetables.
- Slice the green onions in 1-inch pieces.
- Cut the guanciale or pancetta into 1-inch cubes.
- Put another pan over medium-high heat and pour in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
- When the oil is hot add the guaciale or pancetta and brown.
- Add the green onions and cook until soft.
- Lower the heat to meidum-low, add the artichokes, fava beans and peas to the pan along with 1 cup of the vegetable cooking water.
- Simmer until the vegetables are heated through.
- Put the vegetables on a serving platter and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper to taste and a sprinkle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Serve immediately.