Courgette is a key component in Pisto Manchego, a Spanish ratatouille popular in Castilla La Mancha.Ĭucumber – just one of the key ingredients in gazpacho! photo credit: Ingredientes para el gazpacho via photopin (license) Often used in soups, it also doubles up as an alternative to pasta sheets in some lasagnas. Elsewhere, you’ll find it steamed with other greens and then baked in the oven with a béchamel sauce.ĭid you know that endives are one of the trickiest vegetables to grow as they are actually grown first in a field and then re-grown in the dark? NB be careful when ordering endives on translated menus as the lettuce-like ‘escarola’ is often translated as endive as well as escarole and frisee. In Catalonia, try it with the Xató sauce made from almonds, hazelnuts, breadcrumbs and a dried nora pepper. This bitter member of the chicory family makes for a great canapé – just load up each leaf with young creamy Cabrales cheese or other soft blue cheese. Dark green, they give real depth to a plate that might be otherwise lacking in colour. Unlike their Italian counterparts, Spanish cooks don’t make much use of celery – apart from in a vegetable soup.Īcelgas are served sautéed with ham or rice, or stewed with chickpeas or potatoes. You may come across cauliflower in batter or served with chickpeas. This is one that Spanish children detest at school canteens – often served as cauliflower soup or cauliflower with béchamel sauce – both of which are actually very tasty for adults. Greengrocers known as ‘fruterias’ are full of colour – whatever the time of year! photo credit: Delicias de la Huerta – Fruteria via photopin (license) We love making carrot juice, carrot soup and carrot cake – accompany it with a fresh citrus frosting when serving. You see these grated in many ‘ensaladas mixtas’ and it crops up as an ingredient in many dishes. It looks a bit like a blend of celery and leek when cooked. The vegetable can be boiled or par-boiled and fried with almonds, artichokes and even clams and you may also see it baked ‘au gratin’. Often crops up on menus in Galicia where it’s served in strips with smoked paprika and jamon serrano or bacon. Mushrooms also work well on a skewer for the BBQ – served up with ali-oli. Most popular grilled or fried with lashings of garlic. You will see these for sale frequently (often while still attached to their stalks) but will rarely see them on a menu at a restaurant. This is another green that makes an appearance in vegetable soups and can crop up deep-fried in tempura-like batter also. During the warmer months in Catalonia you’ll find a bean salad consisting of cooked habas, pine nuts, artichokes and onion on menus. Often served with rice or jamon, you can also prepare a broad bean falafel and even a broad bean soup. We like this recipe for beetroot salmorejo and also add it to salads for extra colour and flavour! Raf tomatoes and beetroot with a healthy drizzle of olive oil on each – simple and delicious! photo credit: Ensalada de Remolacha cocida al vacío y tomate raf via photopin (license)Īlthough this vegetable grows well, you’ll find it’s not very common on Spain’s menus. In Catalonia, try the ‘escalivada’ which is a chargrilled combination of peppers, tomatoes and aubergine. We also enjoy them sliced in circles and fried in a tempura style batter served with ali oli. Often sliced in half lengthways (like a baguette) and stuffed with mushrooms and béchamel sauce, rice or even a minced meat – Spain’s aubergines are bursting with flavour. In Andalusia, green asparagus can be served with peas or a poached or fried egg – with the asparagus tips serving as soldiers to dip in to the yolk – delicious! The white asparagus from the Navarra region is especially prized in Spain. You’ll also find a cream of asparagus soup on some menus. The green is also special and tends to appear when served with char-grilled vegetables known as ‘verduras a la parrilla’. When reading a menu, unless you see the word ‘triguero’ the word asparagus refers to the white version – which is revered here in Spain and served in salads or on its own with mayonnaise or a vinaigrette. The ‘Blanca de Tudela’ variety of artichoke is the best known in Spain and is found in La Rioja where you can enjoy it in a vinaigrette as an appetiser.Īsparagus Green/White – Esparrago Triguero/Blanco ‘Menestra’ is a stirfry or stew consisting of peas and green beans and artichokes and whatever else is in season. When dining out, you’ll find them stir-fried, baked, stuffed with jamon, in a Spanish tortilla, and fried in a tempura like batter. Usually eaten fresh, although you’ll also find jars of preserved artichokes in all top delis in Spain. Everything looks so fresh and tasty – and you’ll only find what’s seasonal also! Photo credit: Big Dave Diode via photopin cc
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