Vegetable stew with ham

How to make a vegetable stew . This vegetable recipe is one of the dishes that my mother prepares the most.

It is the easiest way to take advantage of everything my father’s garden provides ,   rabidly fresh vegetables .

It is undoubtedly one of the most typical preparations in Spain. Adopted in many areas of the world, it allows us to consume various vegetables at any time of the year. When I was little, I think that as healthy it was, I did not like it, now it is one of my favorite recipes.

A seasonal dish that allows us to eat vegetables even when the heat is not present. When salads no longer have such a presence on the daily table. This recipe with minestrone soup is preferred at home.

The stew is prepared in each house in a different way and of course with what you have on hand, mix your favorite vegetables. Its preparation of the vegetable stew is very simple and quick to prepare.

It is basically a vegetable stew that, as in this case, which can be accompanied with a little serrano ham, thus we provide more flavor but it would not be necessary either. I leave you with an ideal dish to serve as a first or even as an accompaniment to a main dish. You will see that it is delicious.

Preparation of the vegetable stew

1. Peel the potatoes, carrots and onion. We wash them and cut them into brunoise (small dice), so that everything mixes well. We cut the green beans and the cauliflower.
2. In a saucepan, pour water to cover the vegetables, a splash of extra virgin olive oil and a little salt. Heat over high heat and when it is boiling, add the chopped vegetables (carrots, green beans, peas, potatoes) and keep cooking over medium heat for approximately 30 minutes.
3. Potatoes and cauliflower will be added when the above takes 10 minutes, since 18-20 minutes of cooking will be enough, we do not want vegetables overcooked, although in this case they will not be al dente, in just cooking.
4. While our vegetables cook, we put extra virgin olive oil in a pan and start with the sauce. We heat it over medium heat and introduce the ham and onion. We fry.
5. Add a tablespoon of flour and stir well. Next we pour two tablespoons of the broth from the cooking of the vegetables and keep a few minutes on low heat.
6. Once the onion is transparent and the ham is golden. We remove the pan from the heat and reserve.
7. When the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the heat and drain them. We place them in a source and add the sofrito on top of the vegetables.
8. We serve the vegetable stew and season it with extra virgin olive oil or if we prefer with vinegar or mayonnaise. We can accompany our stew with boiled eggs, fried bread cubes or even a poached egg.

Tips for a scrumptious stew

1. We can have a crispy vegetable stew if we use less cooking time. Although in this case each vegetable needs a different time.
2. We would have to cook them in salt water separately for a few minutes, to leave each vegetable al dente.
3. If we accompany the stew with artichokes, boil them with parsley stems, they are loaded with vitamin C and we will prevent them from turning black, much better than using lemon that changes its flavor.
4. The stew supports a multitude of ingredients. For example, artichokes, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, different types of potatoes, asparagus, chives, green beans, peas, broad beans, spinach, borage and zucchini. Apart from the ham, which is much better if it is Iberian, obviously. I invite you to do it often, you will love it.
5. I advise you to make the sauce with a little garlic or fresh garlic and accompany it with a touch of paprika from La Vera.
6. If we want to enhance flavors, in addition to the ham in the sauce that we make in the recipe. Another trick is to substitute extra virgin olive oil for previously melted ham bacon.
7. It is not necessary to link the vegetables with the famous flour and garlic sauce, with the sofrito it is more than enough. Little tricks to make your stew the best, even richer than your own mother’s.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.  

Recommendations and curiosities of this stew

• In some areas of the Spanish geography it is prepared by coating the vegetables and accompanied by lamb meat. Supports a wide variety of vegetables. With what may vary according to the time of year in which we cook it, if it is done using seasonal ingredients .
• From a nutritional point of view it is a dish that provides a large amount of vegetable proteins, vitamins and minerals. It is a very healthy dish for all kinds of ages; children, adolescents of growing age, the elderly, etc.
• A very healthy and complete dish that you like both in summer and winter. If you want it can be accompanied with hard-boiled eggs, fried bread cubes or even a poached egg.
• We can use all kinds of vegetables, for example artichokes, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, asparagus, chives, green beans, peas, broad beans, spinach, borage, zucchini, apart from ham, which is much better if it is Iberian, obviously.
• They are ideas but I assure you that a stew with 5 or 6 vegetables is perfect because the flavors of each one are appreciated. And please do not think to add I like to appreciate the flavors of each one. Achieving balance for each is somewhat difficult, even if it seems simple.