Menestra de Tudela

Step 1: Trim the 6 small globe artichokes down to their pale hearts, cut each into quarters, scoop out any fluffy choke and drop them into a bowl of cold water squeezed with the 1 lemon so they don't darken.

Step 2: Bring a large pan of water to the boil with the 2 tsp salt. Cook the vegetables one kind at a time, lifting each out with a slotted spoon: 2 carrots 8–10 minutes, 7 oz flat green beans 6–8 minutes, 10 ½ oz Swiss chard stalks 8 minutes, 9 oz fresh broad beans 5 minutes, 9 oz fresh peas 3–4 minutes and the drained artichokes 12–15 minutes. Each is ready when a knife slides in with just a little resistance.

Step 3: Keep about 250 ml of the cooking water. A common mistake is boiling everything together in one pot: the soft peas turn grey and mushy before the chard is even tender, so take the time to cook them separately.

Step 4: Pat the artichokes and chard stalks dry with a clean cloth. Heat the ¾ cup olive oil for frying in a frying pan over a medium-high heat until a crumb of bread sizzles straight away.

Step 5: Dust the artichoke quarters and chard pieces in the 1 ¾ oz plain flour, dip them in the beaten 2 eggs and fry in batches for 1–2 minutes a side until puffed and pale gold. Drain on kitchen paper.

Step 6: In a wide, shallow casserole heat the 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over a low heat. Cook the 1 onion for 8 minutes until soft and see-through, add the 3 cloves garlic for 1 minute, then stir in the 1 tbsp plain flour and cook for a minute without letting it brown.

Step 7: Whisk in the saved cooking water a ladle at a time until you have a light, pourable sauce that coats a spoon.

Step 8: Add the carrots, beans, peas and broad beans and the drained 6 white asparagus spears, then lay the fried artichokes and chard on top. Shake the pan gently (don't stir, or the coating falls off) and simmer for 4–5 minutes until everything is hot.

Step 9: Taste for salt, garnish with the 1 hard-boiled egg if you like and serve warm as a starter or light main.