Menestra de Verduras

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

1hr 10 mins

Total Time

1hr 30 mins

Nothing beats a freshly prepared menestra de verduras. This is a classic Spanish dish often served in La Rioja and Navarra but sadly not seen in restaurant menus anymore. Menestra de verduras is a panache of seasonal vegetables cooked in stock and served with battered vegetables. In my recipe, I use fresh globe artichokes fried in a light tempura batter and serve the menestra in a delicious sauce made with garlic, oyster mushrooms, white wine and crispy ibérico ham.

1hr 30 mins

4 people

Ingredients
Method

12 baby carrots, peeled
12 baby leeks, trimmed and washed
12 green asparagus, trimmed
12 runner beans, sides peeled
12 new potatoes, peeled
12 small florets of cauliflower
2 baby gem lettuces, split in 2 halves lengthways
4 handfuls of baby spinach
For the artichoke tempura:
4 globe artichokes
Vegetable oil for frying
50g plain flour, plus extra for coating the artichokes
75ml ice cold water
A pinch of curry powder
For the sauce:
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 large spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced
50g oyster mushrooms, finely sliced
1 tsp of plain flour
250ml fresh beef stock
100ml white wine
Salt to taste

For the baby carrots, fry them with one tablespoon of olive oil for a couple of minutes, season with salt and cover with 50ml of beef stock, bring to the boil and simmer until tender, take out of the stock to cool down and set aside.
For the baby leeks, cook in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Cool down quickly in iced water.
For the asparagus, cook in the same water as the leeks for 2 minutes. Cool down in iced water.
For the runner beans with the help of a peeler, peel the side lengthways to remove the tough lining. Trim the corners and slice into one-inch chunks. Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes and cool down in iced water.
For the cauliflower, cook in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Cool down in iced water.
For the new potatoes, cook in boiling salted water for 8 minutes or until tender. Cool down and set aside.
To prepare the artichokes, remove the outer hard leaves with the help of a sharp paring knife. Once the artichokes are peeled, cut them in half lengthways and place in a pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice to avoid discoloration and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Take out of the cooking liquid to cool down, pat dry and set aside.
To make the tempura batter, in a medium size bowl, mix the flour and curry powder and whisk in the cold water until briefly combined, leave it lumpy. To fry the artichokes, heat the vegetable oil in large pan, roll the cooked artichokes in flour, and dip in the tempura batter, fry until golden for about 3 minutes. Drain and season with salt.
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large shallow casserole dish and fry the sliced ibérico ham until crispy, drain and set aside. Add the garlic, spring onion and mushrooms and fry gently until lightly coloured. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute on a gentle heat, deglaze with the white wine and reduce by half. Add the beef stock, season with salt and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes until you have a glossy sauce.
To finish the menestra de verduras, add the cooked carrots, leeks, asparagus, runner beans, new potatoes, cauliflower florets and baby spinach to the sauce and gently heat for 5 minutes for the spinach to wilt and the vegetables to take on the flavour of the sauce. In a large frying pan, sear the baby gem lettuce halves with the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil until well charred on one side and add them to the vegetable panache stirring them in gently. Sprinkle the crispy ham and add the tempura artichoke pieces. Serve with some crusty bread and a glass of white rioja.

Ingredients

12 baby carrots, peeled
12 baby leeks, trimmed and washed
12 green asparagus, trimmed
12 runner beans, sides peeled
12 new potatoes, peeled
12 small florets of cauliflower
2 baby gem lettuces, split in 2 halves lengthways
4 handfuls of baby spinach
For the artichoke tempura:
4 globe artichokes
Vegetable oil for frying
50g plain flour, plus extra for coating the artichokes
75ml ice cold water
A pinch of curry powder
For the sauce:
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 large spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced
50g oyster mushrooms, finely sliced
1 tsp of plain flour
250ml fresh beef stock
100ml white wine
Salt to taste

Method

For the baby carrots, fry them with one tablespoon of olive oil for a couple of minutes, season with salt and cover with 50ml of beef stock, bring to the boil and simmer until tender, take out of the stock to cool down and set aside.
For the baby leeks, cook in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Cool down quickly in iced water.
For the asparagus, cook in the same water as the leeks for 2 minutes. Cool down in iced water.
For the runner beans with the help of a peeler, peel the side lengthways to remove the tough lining. Trim the corners and slice into one-inch chunks. Cook in boiling water for 3 minutes and cool down in iced water.
For the cauliflower, cook in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Cool down in iced water.
For the new potatoes, cook in boiling salted water for 8 minutes or until tender. Cool down and set aside.
To prepare the artichokes, remove the outer hard leaves with the help of a sharp paring knife. Once the artichokes are peeled, cut them in half lengthways and place in a pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice to avoid discoloration and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Take out of the cooking liquid to cool down, pat dry and set aside.
To make the tempura batter, in a medium size bowl, mix the flour and curry powder and whisk in the cold water until briefly combined, leave it lumpy. To fry the artichokes, heat the vegetable oil in large pan, roll the cooked artichokes in flour, and dip in the tempura batter, fry until golden for about 3 minutes. Drain and season with salt.
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large shallow casserole dish and fry the sliced ibérico ham until crispy, drain and set aside. Add the garlic, spring onion and mushrooms and fry gently until lightly coloured. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute on a gentle heat, deglaze with the white wine and reduce by half. Add the beef stock, season with salt and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes until you have a glossy sauce.
To finish the menestra de verduras, add the cooked carrots, leeks, asparagus, runner beans, new potatoes, cauliflower florets and baby spinach to the sauce and gently heat for 5 minutes for the spinach to wilt and the vegetables to take on the flavour of the sauce. In a large frying pan, sear the baby gem lettuce halves with the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil until well charred on one side and add them to the vegetable panache stirring them in gently. Sprinkle the crispy ham and add the tempura artichoke pieces. Serve with some crusty bread and a glass of white rioja.

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Chef's Profile

Javier De La Hormaza

Javier is a Basque born, trained chef and hospitality professional, owner of Basco Fine Foods, a Spanish food and drink importer based in Yorkshire. He regularly runs client food and drink events around the country and he is a course tutor at Hartingtons of Bakewell cookery school. Javier’s passion lies on bringing quality Spanish ingredients and recipes to as many people as possible.

Twitter: @bascofinefoods
Instagram: @mrbasco

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Menestra de Verduras