la vignarola (a food miracle)

I'm pretty sure that this meal is the reason why Italians are gorgeous and slim, even though they're gorgeously eating gorgeous pastries* every gorgeous-freaking-Italian-morning. La vignarola is so healthy yet SO delicious that when you're eating it you really do feel as though you're part of a food miracle. You are healthy. You are virtuous. You can eat cake for breakfast!

La vignarola IS Spring. It relies on the awesomeness and freshness of an amazing group of vege-chums that, for a few weeks every Spring, are at their peak all at the same time (miracle much?).

A basic traditional la vignarola includes an even-ish mix of artichokes, broad beans, peas and lettuce thrown on top of sauteed spring onions, seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked in a little water. As long as you have most of the main elements, I reckon you can get away with a few variations in la vigranola - but it must be remembered that it's vignarola's simplicity that makes it so awesome. I LOVE snow peas and asparagus so they were there and because artichokes are pretty rare around here, they kinda weren't.

Once you taste it, you'll never want to eat anything else, not even Italian pastries! (I am kidding, of course, but it come close).

I got my recipe from Australian Gourmet Traveller and tweaked it using my own ingredients. My main adjustments were using half the artichokes and using smoked bacon instead of the prosciutto. I also cut my artichokes into quarters because it was way easier to get the chokes out. It's not much work because it's pretty much just all blanching and then a bit of sauteing. Swoon.

*Blobby?