Spanish cuisine · Vegetable Dishes

Menestra Riojana

Vegetable stew from La Rioja with asparagus, artichokes, peas and beans, each vegetable cooked to perfection separately.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 8 artichoke hearts (fresh or frozen)
• 500 g green asparagus
• 250 g peas
• 250 g green beans
• 2 carrots
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp flour
• 150 ml white wine
• 2 eggs
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Halve the artichoke hearts, cut the asparagus into 4 cm pieces, the beans into 3 cm pieces and slice the peeled carrots.
2. Bring plenty of salted water to a boil and blanch the vegetables one after another – carrots 6 min., beans 5 min., artichokes 6 min., asparagus 3 min., peas 3 min. – shocking each in cold water and reserving 400 ml of the cooking water.
3. Hard-boil the eggs for 9 min., shock, peel and quarter them.
4. Finely dice the onion and garlic and sauté in the olive oil for 7 min. until translucent, stir in the flour, sauté for 1 min. and deglaze with the white wine.
5. Pour in the reserved cooking water and reduce uncovered for 5 min. until a lightly thickened pale sauce forms, then add all the vegetables and let them steep gently for 5 min. without stirring.
6. Season with salt and pepper, top with the egg quarters and serve the stew lukewarm on shallow plates.