Spring Vegetable Stew
Submitted by nowash
A farmers market celebration of artichokes, fava beans, asparagus, peas, leeks, turnips, and carrots gently stewed with lemon, garlic, and butter. Each vegetable cooked to its own ideal doneness.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
45 minREADY
1 hrsThis is vegetable cooking at its most thoughtful. Every ingredient gets treated with respect, blanched or simmered separately so nothing is overcooked and nothing is lost in the crowd.
Fava beans get a quick blanch and peel to reveal those brilliant green jewels inside. Artichokes simmer gently in lemon water until just tender. Asparagus, turnips, and carrots each get their own brief dip in boiling water before joining the party.
The liquid reduces down to a glossy, concentrated syrup that coats every vegetable in buttery, lemony richness. It’s the kind of stew that makes you remember why people get excited when spring produce starts showing up at the market.
Chef Tips
- Wash the leeks thoroughly. Cut them first, then soak in cold water and swish them around. Sand hides deep in the layers.
- Keep the trimmed artichokes in lemon water to prevent browning. They’ll turn gray fast if left exposed to air.
- Blanch each vegetable separately so you can control the doneness of each. Dumping them all in together guarantees some will be mush while others are raw.
- Unpeeled garlic cloves mellow and sweeten as they stew. Squeeze them out of their skins at the table for a creamy garlic treat.
Ingredients
Directions
WASH THE SLICED LEEKS really well, as they are always sandy.
Trim the artichokes.
Keep the finished pieces in a bowl covered with water and the juice of one lemon.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the fava beans, and cook for about a minute.
Scoop them out and put them in a bowl of cold water, reserving the cooking water.
Slip each bean out of its skin and set aside.
Cut the top 3 inches off the asparagus. If the tips are very thick, slice them in half lengthwise.
Warm the butter and olive oil in a wide skillet and add the leeks, artichokes, garlic, and salt lightly.
Toss to coat everything with the oil and squeeze the juice of the second lemon over all.
Cook gently for several minutes, without frying, then add the water.
Simmer, partially covered, for about 15 minutes or until the artichokes are tender but still a little firm.
Make sure there is always some liquid in the pan, adding more water as needed in small increments.
Return the water used for the fava beans to the heat and bring to a boil.
Separately blanch the turnips, carrots and asparagus and add them to the stewed vegetables along with the fresh peas.
Cook gently until all the vegetables are tender and the liquid is reduced to a syrup.
Taste for salt.
Stir in the additional butter and the herbs and season with pepper.
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