STEWED ARTICHOKES WITH MEATBALLS

Hi again, springtime, April, but still time for a comforting hot stew, the 0 kilometer veggies are at the best moment, Granada has the best green asparagus, the best fava beans, and the artichokes. Many families has a small plot where they grow theese veggies, recollect them and sell them on the side of secondary roads. So fresh, and we have so many recipes, last spring I posted the Asparaous Cream, the Habas con Jamon, one of the famous recipes from Granada, we buy a lot of everythng now, and freeze for the rest of the year.
This recipe is all homemade, and we always do a big skillet to invite family and friends.


Shopping list 4 persons
8 artichokes
4 large potato
1 onion
2 tablespoons of extra virgen olive oil
1 liter vegetable stock

Meatballs for 4 persons
500 gr of minced veal
1 egg
3 table spoons of bread crumbs
1 teaspoon of chopped parsley
1 tea spoon of grated nutmeg
Pink salt from Himalaya
White pepper

Fritada for the stock
2 slieces of white bread
2 garlic cloves
1 handful of almonds
AOVE
Pink salt from Himalaya
1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Start peeling and chopping the onion finely, add the olive oil and the onion to a skillet and let simmer while we peel the artichokes, all the hard dark leaves must be taken off, rub your hands with lemon juice, and in the end, you cut off 1/3 of the top, have some water ready with the juice of 1/2 lemon ( the artichokes turns brown with the air, but the lemon water avoids that) You can also peel the stalks, we don't like to throw away anything edible, and add them to the stew.


When the onion is transparent, you add vegetable stock, or water, I never use the boullion you buy ready after  I saw a video clip of what is used to make it. I always save the stock of everything I boil, and use that, I even freeze it when I'm not going to use it the same day or next.
Strain the artichokes and add to the onion stock, peel the potatoes and cut in lage pices and add too.

Then mix the ingredients for the meatballs, mix well, and if you rinse your hands in cold water, the balls comes out nicely without gluing to your hands. Have some flour in a small bowl, toss the meatballs with it, and fry at medium heat until they are golden brown all over. When finished, transfer to the boiling artichokes.
The artichokes and the potatoes are ready in about 25 min.

For the fritada, used in many spanish dishes:
Then we cut the white bread in cubes, and fry int olive oil, until crisp and golden, use a kitchen paper to drain the exess of oil. Then chop the almonds and the garlic, and fry in the same oil, when finished,  be careful not to burn the almonds, add the sweet paprika and transfer all to the food processor at medium high speed, and you get a brown paste. Add this to the stock, and let simmer the last 5 min, now you will get a lovely sauce.

Serve 2 artichocks some potatoes and meatballs, with a little sauce, we use this as a main dish.

We have a small lemon tree n the garden, and they are just ripe now, very strong ths year, but nice to have really 0 kilometer fruit.

If you want to freeze the artichokes, just peel them as in this recipe, boil water, enough to cower them, add the artichokes for 2 min., strin well, and put in plastic bags. Then you can cook them later as you wish. The same way, the fava beans and the asparagus too.

Hope you liked this very, very Spanish stew.

Love
Hilde