Menestra de verdures amb botifarra

Vegetable stew with fried blood pudding

My story

During the approach of winter, my Mum loves to prepare a dish using fresh peas and artichokes, a recipe passed down from my grandmother. To enhance the flavour, half a glass of Conyac and half a glass of Anis are added while cooking the vegetables, making it a delicious treat. To complete the meal, we complement it with the famous fried blood pudding from Catalunya. It's a joy to cook this dish with my Mum, who has a fondness for raw artichokes and munches on them while I peel them. As we cook, she regales me with tales of her grandad, who grew artichokes on his land. She and her sister would often sneak into the field and swipe some of the small and tender artichokes, much to grandpa's chagrin as he never had the chance to harvest larger ones. It's funny how my brother, Borja, now does the same thing. It seems that tastes and traditions are handed down from one generation to the next.

Ingredients

1 Thick slice of pancetta

3 Tbsp Olive oil

1 Big onion

1 Garlic clove

1 Big carrot

400 grs Fresh peas

8 Artichokes

½ Glass of Conyac

½ Glass of “Anis del Mono”

Blood pudding

2 Potatoes

Salt

Recipe

Begin by sautéing cubes of pancetta in a pot with 3 tablespoons of olive oil until they become golden brown. Then, add finely chopped onions and garlic to the pot, cooking until softened. Following this, include thinly sliced carrots to the mix, continuing to cook until the sofrito is thoroughly cooked for about 15 minutes. Once complete, add quartered artichokes and peas, allowing them to mix with the sofrito before adding half a glass of Conyac and half a glass of Anis along with half a pot of water. Leave the mixture to simmer over medium heat for at least 45 minutes with the lid off, allowing the liquid to evaporate. To ensure that the artichokes are tender, add additional water if needed and continue to cook for an extra 15 minutes. Finally, cut blood pudding into 2cm diameter circles and fry in a pan without any oil, serving on top of the menestra. You can also fry a couple of potatoes cut in cubes and add to the dish.