Ingredients

Adjust Servings:

	For the Stew
	6 small violet Artichokes – smaller than a tennis ball
	Olive Oil , for frying, grilling and to finish
	1 Red Onion , chopped
	100 g diced Pancetta or lardons
	2 Garlic cloves, crushed
	200 ml Chicken broth
	a bunch of Swiss Chard , washed, dried and chopped to separate the stems and thick ribs from the leafy parts
	200 g shelled Broad Beans
	250g fresh shelled Peas – or frozen, at a push
	5 sprigs of Mint , leaves only, chopped
	flaked Sea Salt
	freshly ground Black Pepper , to taste
	good squeeze of Lemon Juice
	For the Toasts
	4 thick slices of sourdough Bread
	200 g Goat’s Cheese or other goat's curd

Spring vegetable stew on toast with goat’s curd recipe

Name: Spring vegetable stew on toast with goat’s curd recipe
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients: Artichokes: 6 small violet; Olive Oil; Red Onion: 1; Pancetta: 100 g diced; Garlic: 2; Chicken broth: 200 ml; Swiss Chard: a bunch of; Broad Beans: 200 g shelled; Peas: 250g fresh shelled; Mint: 5 sprigs of; Sea Salt: flaked; Black Pepper: freshly ground; Lemon Juice: good squeeze of; Bread: 4 thick slices of sourdough; Goat’s Cheese: 200 g

Serves 4
Medium

Ingredients

For the Stew
6 small violet Artichokes
Olive Oil
1 Red Onion
100 g diced Pancetta
2 Garlic
200 ml Chicken broth
a bunch of Swiss Chard
200 g shelled Broad Beans
250g fresh shelled Peas
5 sprigs of Mint
flaked Sea Salt
freshly ground Black Pepper
good squeeze of Lemon Juice
For the Toasts
4 thick slices of sourdough Bread
200 g Goat’s Cheese

Directions

Quite rightly, it’s often emphasised how little cooking young spring vegetables need. For the most part, we tend to cook them as briefly as possible. But in this recipe we take the opposite tack, and slow-cook them in a rich, savoury broth. It makes for a totally different experience. This springtime stew is inspired by the Italian dish, Vignole. It calls for the softest, youngest goat’s cheese you can find, which is in season at the same time of year. Goat’s curd still has that distinctive tang that all products made from goat’s milk possess, but in the mildest possible form.

You could even use goat’s milk yoghurt, which is now widely available – just strain it in a cloth overnight to remove the excess moisture, and to concentrate all the flavour. You’ll have something not far from a soft, spreadable cheese. If you struggle to find either, ricotta will also work well, but add a pinch of salt. If you want to make this vegetarian, leave out the pancetta and use vegetable stock.

Steps

1 Done	Strip the outer leaves from the artichokes to reveal their hearts, and pare and trim away all the hairy chokes. Chop the hearts into 6 pieces.
2 Done	Heat a generous dash of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion with the pancetta until the onion is soft – 8–10 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and cook for another 1–2 minutes, until fragrant, but not coloured. Pour in 150 ml of the stock – you may need more later, depending on how dry the stew becomes while cooking. (You’re aiming for a good amount of liquid, but not quite a soup, so add more stock as and when required.) Add the artichoke hearts and the stems and ribs of the chard, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broad beans and peas and cook for another 10 minutes, then stir in the chard leaves and cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the mint, season with salt and pepper, and squeeze in the lemon juice. Finish with a generous glug of olive oil.
3 Done	Meanwhile, brush the slices of sourdough on each side with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Grill on both sides until almost charred, but still soft within. Smear one side with a generous layer of goat’s curd. Sit each toast in the centre of a shallow bowl and spoon a generous pile of stew onto half of the bread, letting the broth cover the base of the bowl, with the bright white of the curd shining through on the other half.