Ronda-Style Vegetable Stew

The word "menestra" has a funny origin. It comes from Latin and then Italian "minestra", meaning "to serve at the dining table".

Although it is customary to have some sausage or meat as an ingredient, it can be made with just vegetables, especially the kind called "menestra de vigilia" (Lent stew), which is eaten particularly in times of religiously forbidden foods.

In addition to black pudding, our recipe only includes artichokes, broad beans and peas. Therefore, it does not take a lot of ingredients. The variety of vegetables can be up to a dozen: white or wild asparagus tips, spring onions, potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, etc. It is important that they be cooked separately, since they have different textures, thus requiring different cooking times.

Recipe

Ingredients: 1 kilo artichokes, 1 kilo broad beans, 1 kilo peas, 1 onion, 1 ladleful fried tomato, 1/2 kilo Ronda black pudding, flour, broth, salt, lemon, water.

Preparation

Clean the artichokes and cut them into four pieces. Rub them with lemon, clean them in water, coat them with flour and boil in salty water. Do the same with beans and peas.

Once the three vegetables are cooked, drain them and set them aside.

Fry a sliced onion and add fried tomato sauce. Add the artichokes, beans and peas, and fry lightly.

Cover everything with the broth and add the sliced black pudding. Cook for ten minutes more and serve.