vignole | spring vegetable stew (via Jamie Oliver)

This dish tastes like you're shoveling Spring down your throat. In a good way.

We don't eat nearly enough vegetables. We like them and all. We want to eat more. We have the best of intentions. We know we should. 

But we don't.

So who else but Jamie Oliver and his crusade to get America to eat more healthful food could get us away from our precious carbs for one meal?

His stew takes whatever glorious green veggies you can find and like, mixes them together with herbs, garlic, and pancetta (you can leave it out if you prefer), and cooks it just long enough for them to start some flavor party.

This stew of vegetables is the most versatile dish we've made in a long time. We served it in a bowl topped with a drizzle of olive oil and some Parmesan shavings. The next night, we used it as a sauce for pasta. And the next night, it held its own against a grilled hanger steak.

We mixed and matched green veggies. Two important changes we made to the 

• The recipe calls for fresh fava beans. We couldn't find any at our two local fancy markets, so we substituted frozen shelled edamame. I'm sure it would taste different with favas, but I don't know that it would be better. Or cheaper.

• I wasn't in the mood to clean artichokes. I used frozen artichoke hearts. I know this is a moral failing. Fresh really would have been better. We all survived. And it was still good.

So next time you're at the grocery, and you know you want to make something good for you, go green. This recipe has room for it.

vignole | spring vegetable stew (adapted from Jamie Oliver)

• 10 oz. frozen artichokes
• kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 oz. edamame
• 1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 regular leek, white and light green parts, cut into 3 inch lengths, washed
• 1/2 pound spinach, picked and washed
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 glove of garlic, thinly sliced or finely chopped
• 1.5 c. chicken stock
• 12 oz. fresh peas (oh, umm, we used frozen baby peas)
• 4 thick slices of prosciutto (or use a favorite ham or bacon)
• a small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked
• a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked

Boil a pot of salted water. Blanch the leeks for 3-4 minutes. Add the asparagus for 2 minutes. Remove and add in the spinach for a minute. Remove and add the edamame for a minute or so. Fish them all out. You're done with the water, so you can dump the edamame right into a colander in the sink. These blanched veggies are going to hang out for a while.

Heat a very large sauce pan (might want to use a Dutch oven-sized pot) over medium. Add a bit of olive oil and then the onion. Cook slowly for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Crank up the heat. Add the chicken stock and the peas and bring to a boil. Lay the prosciutto over the top and reduce the heat to a simmer for 10 minutes or so. You're making the blanket of pork goodness seep into the green.

Meanwhile, tear the leeks into strips. They don't need to be perfect. Roughly chop the spinach.

Remove the prosciutto and place on a cutting board. Let it cool for a while.

Add the leek strips, the edamame, asparagus, spinach, and artichokes into the peas. Bring back to a simmer, letting them slowly cook for about 10 minutes.

Chop the herbs finely. Chop the prosciutto into bite-size pieces. Add them into the stew.

Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add a swirl or two of olive oil. Prepare to taste Spring.

Comments

[Mir]

Hrm. I fear that without the chicken stock and pork fat (like, say, if I tried to make this vegetarian-friendly) it might not have enough flavor. Any ideas on what would punch up the flavor if making it meat-free?

[C Thornton]

@Mir - If you're willing to be daring, I'd try bacon salt (http://www.jdfoods.net/products/baconsalt.php). It's vegetarian AND kosher. I don't want to know how they pulled off that trick, but they did. Also knowing that you like to stay away from grains, you might want to go for their "natural" flavor which eliminates the wheat.

You could also make some garlic chips (thin slices, fried slowly in olive oil until golden). Add them as a garnish to get some crunchy flavor.

[C Thornton]

@Mir - Also thinking this would take some heat from peppers (mild to hot) very well. Or a rice vinegar (Kame makes a gluten-free version). Or both.

[Mir]

Oooohhh, see, now you've got me thinking. A little rice vinegar, maybe both some sweet and hot peppers... I can see it.

Then again, I'd happily sit down and gnaw my way through a few pounds of asparagus just for kicks, so what I think sounds delicious may not be entirely mainstream. ;)

[C Thornton]

And that has me inspired to make this again, very soon.

I would gladly have a plate full of roasted asparagus with some olive oil, salt, and pepper for dinner. That makes two of us. So would Karen, I'm sure. Three. That's pretty much mainstream.

[Heather]

Wow wow wow! We eat lots of veggie/vegan foods at my house, and this looks fantastic! Thanks for the idea. :)

[Red]

Looks AMAZING!! I can't wait to try it :)