Planting Root Veg In The “Huerta”, Wild Asparagus And A Vegan “Arroz Al Horno” (My Way)

Now spring is just around the corner our “huerta” is starting to look more like the food providing area it’s meant to be and less like a desert in parts and a jungle in others. Once the days become longer our “ganas” to create copious amounts of veg becomes stronger. (Excuse the Spanish word there, it’s one I use a lot and can’t quite get the translation right. Sometimes only the Spanish word will do! It means enthusiasm, eagerness, desire, etc).

According to our Moon Diary (here I go again), there were a couple of days last week that were ideal for planting root veg. Pep hopped on his tractor (which, now it’s passed the ITV will soon be going to it’s new home in Pinos where they have more use for it), and quickly cultivated a few square metres, ready for planting potatoes. We’re hoping for as good a harvest as last year’s (post from June 2020 here) but you never can tell where vegetables are concerned.

We’ve planted them in a completely different part of the “huerta”. It’s best to alternate spots from one year to the next. Fingers crossed they’ll like this one as much as last year’s. We had a tremendous amount of rain during their growth in March/April so that, no doubt, had a lot to do with the abundant crop.

I help Pep out by placing the potatoes in the furrows. He made me my own measuring stick to place in between each potato as my idea of 15 to 20 centimetres is completely different to his (no rude thoughts please 😊). Once I’ve done that he rakes the earth back over the potatoes.

Although it wasn’t the correct day to plant peas as stated by the M.D, Pep sowed the seeds that remained from a couple of weeks ago in between two lines of potatoes. They supposedly compliment each other well (fish fingers, chips and peas was always a childhood favourite of mine😁). This time he scattered the seeds in the furrow as he’s always done, instead of placing them apart like we did a couple of weeks ago (post here). We shall soon see if there is any difference between the two lots. Seeing as we’ve gone against the M.D this time, it will be interesting to see what happens.

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Pep also sowed the carrot and parsnip seeds. He does this in “turba” (peat I think it’s called) rather than in the ground, constructing two separate small allotments out of old blocks and bricks and filling them with the soil. Pep has planted the carrots (zanahorias) this way for the past few years. They don’t seem to like our local earth and we get a more plentiful crop from the “turba”. As long as they get lots of water that is.

This is the first time we’ve planted parsnips (chirivías). Pep loathed them until I roasted some and he couldn’t believe they were the same vegetable. “Puchero” is the only way he’d eaten them and they’re basically boiled that way. Nothing like the sweet roast parsnips us Brits love.

He thinks they will also be better off in peat so they have their own little allotment this year. Supposedly 4 or 5 months will pass before they’re ready to harvest.

The watering system was rigged up for the potatoes, broad beans, peas and fruit trees, just in case we don’t get the rain we were lucky to get last spring. Also a pic of the garlic after I’d weeded around them. They’re coming on nicely now.

When the work was done we went for our usual afternoon stroll. The almond blossom was looking quite splendid, much better than last year. Although we have dozens of pictures of the glorious trees in bloom from years past, I can’t help but take more. You’ve probably seen and taken loads yourself if you live where almonds grow, but I’ll just put a couple on here in case. I can’t resist!

During the late winter and early spring, if the weather has been appropriate, wild asparagus (espárragos silvestres or trigueros) start appearing in local fields, alongside country tracks and even in our garden. When we (or I) go out on our daily afternoon/evening walk at this time of year I try and remember to take an empty bag with me. If I forget I tend to end up with pockets full. I’ve even had to use my jacket hood on occasions!

My usual one hourly walks increase to two hours at this time of year. Most of the time is spent scrabbling about under abandoned olive trees, desperate to pick that one tender spear that I can’t quite reach! I come home with a collection of twigs and weeds in my hair.

We adore foraging for this delicacy, often picking enough every day to have a plateful with our tea at night. My favourite way to eat them is “a la plancha”, sautéing them with a small drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. They emit an aroma reminiscent of popcorn whilst they’re sizzling away in the pan. They don’t taste like it though.

Delicious in omelettes, risottos and even soups if you’re lucky enough to find plenty. It depends on the year, the area you live in and if somebody else finds them before you do.

They’re incredibly healthy, full of antioxidants, vitamins a, c, e and k, folate and certain minerals. As well as being packed with all those marvellous goodies they’re also a natural diuretic. Which brings me to another fact about wild asparagus: they make your pee pong!! From one year to the next I forget just how bad the odour is after having eaten a few dozen. This vile smell is due to a substance in the asparagus, an acid of some sort. It doesn’t happen to everyone mind you. Just make sure you hold your nose when you have a wee after eating some, just in case😁.

Ok, that’s enough of that. On with the “arroz al horno”. On Sundays we would quite often go for a long walk, finishing up in one of our favourite rice restaurants. At the mo that’s not possible due to the restrictions in the Valencian Community. We can still go for long walks in the countryside but eating out isn’t allowed for the time being.

I think the rice dishes are what I miss most about our local restaurants. That and a good Indian meal at Tiffin (post here and here). Seeing as it was Sunday and we’d been busy in our “huerta” I had the urge to make a vegan “arroz al horno”. It’s a rice dish more suited to cooler temperatures in my opinion. It was a bit of a grotty day so I decided it was the perfect occasion for making one. The veggie paella (post here) I make more in the warmer months, possibly ’cause I like to make it outside but to me it’s more of a summery dish.

As usual I’ve started rambling. Back to the “arroz”. To make it you need a clay cooking pot (“cazuela de barro”). I’m sure it could be made in a stainless steel pan or other vessel but I think it tastes better in the traditional dish. Prior to putting it on the hob it needs completely soaking in water. Under the tap will do.

Personally I think there are two veggies that are essential, potatoes and tomatoes. These are found in most non-vegan “arroz al horno” (like the one I mentioned at the end of this post) and make this veggie version more akin to the original. Aside from that, you can use any veg you want really, just don’t go over the top with the amounts. You want the rice to be the star of the dish.

I find this quite hard to stick to, often finishing up with far too many vegetables for the size of our pot for two. After chopping them up I nearly always have to put some to the side for use in another dish. This time I had to remove about half the amount of pumpkin I’d initially chopped up. I’ll never learn.

On Sunday I used potato, tomato, onion, mushrooms, pumpkin, red pepper, cauliflower and garlic. The other ingredients are 80 grams of rice per person, a few chickpeas, vegetable stock or water (just over double the volume of rice), salt and “ñora”. You can use paprika (“pimentón dulce”) instead of the “ñora”.

Ñoras are small, squat, round red peppers. They dry them by hanging a few up together with string and leaving them in the sun for a few days in the summer. They add colour and a sweet, quite intense flavour to many local dishes. The Spanish often rehydrate them for a few hours before extracting the pulp for use in the dish they’re preparing. You can also buy them dried and ground. This year we dried them and I blitzed them into a coarse powder, which is what I use in this rice dish.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Heat the stock or water on the hob. Add a pinch of salt to it, a generous one if you’re using water. The stock I use is what I reserve from any “crema” (thick soup) I make, like the one in this post. Homemade is much nicer than the bought variety but use whatever you fancy.

Soak the earthenware pot and place it on a low heat with a generous glug of olive oil. Allow to heat up then add the garlic cloves (I used a head and a half of unpeeled cloves) and the sliced potato. Fry for a few minutes until they appear only very slightly cooked, not browned. Remove from the pot.

Add the rest of the veggies to the pot with a pinch or two of salt and fry for a few more minutes, until the veggies start to soften. Tip in the rice and the ground “ñora” and continue to stir and cook for a couple of minutes so the rice absorbs some of the flavours. Spread the mixture evenly around the pot and add the hot stock or water. Sprinkle on the chickpeas then place the sliced, partly cooked potato and the sliced tomato around the dish.

Transfer to the middle rack of the heated oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes, until the rice is cooked and no liquid remains. Remove from the oven, allow to “reposar” (rest) for 3-4 minutes and serve. We always eat the rice dishes cooked in the “paella” straight from the pan. With the “arroz al horno” we prefer to transfer some to our plates to allow it to cool more quickly. We’d be waiting all day for it too cool down otherwise.

I serve this dish with a simple salad. Sunday’s was very basic. Just lettuce straight from our garden, some “nísperos” (loquats) which I preserved from last year’s crop, a sprinkling of toasted sesame and sunflower seeds, a generous amount of black pepper, a touch of salt and a healthy drizzle of olive oil. Delish.

Of course, Sunday lunch isn’t complete in our house if something sweet doesn’t follow our main dish. As you know, I like to tinker about in the kitchen with recipes I come across on my internet travels. The toffee apples I make on this post are one of such discoveries. The day previous to making the “arroz” I’d made vegan, gluten free Snickers bites that I’d seen on a blog I’ve been following for a few years now.

Rhian’s Recipes is a great site for gluten-free, vegan recipes, both savoury and sweet. My pumpkin loaf (post here) is based on one of her recipes. This is the link to the Snickers bites, which she makes as bars but I think they’re so rich it’s best to make them into bites instead. In my opinion one of these morsels is plenty after a big plate of rice.

Well, I think that’s about my lot for today. One more thing though 🤣. If you like “churros” but aren’t so keen on the fat content in the fried version, there is a great recipe here for baking gluten free ones in the oven. I made them the other day, substituting the butter for half coconut oil, half olive oil. Dipped into melted chocolate when they’re hot out the oven is sublime, although admittedly rather naughty. Still, it’s another enjoyable recipe to attempt, even if it’s only once. There is also a vegan, gluten free recipe for baked churros on Rhian’s Recipes blog (link here). I shall no doubt be testing them soon!

Ok my dears. I’m off now. I’ll be back on Valley FM this Saturday around lunchtime. If you’d like to listen to last week’s spot you can do so here. I’m on around the 40 minute mark but it’s worth listening to the whole programme, there is often quite a lot of useful information.

If you have any questions or suggestions please don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can do so in the comments below, in the contact us page (link at top and bottom of this page) or by sending us a message on our Facebook page here. We’d love to hear from you. Thanks for reading. Take care all of you and see you very soon. Lots of love, Georgie and Pep xxx