Olla Gitana is a typical soup of Murcia in the South East of Spain. Its combination of ingredients makes it practically a meal in its own right – and it is absolutely delicious and extremely filling.

It can be served with or without the addition of pork – and although many of the more traditional ingredients rule out this rich stew for vegetarians – with some careful fiddling it could be made suitable. Packed with beans and vegetables it is truly one of the best spanish stews / soups I have tasted. It is particular suited for the cold winter nights we are experiencing at the moment – yes, its true, even here we are having some seriously cold weather.

Ingredients::
2 x 14 oz tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or the equivalent dried, follow inst on pack)
2 pieces of pork shoulder
1 carrot, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
4 pints of chicken or vegetable stock
1 lb butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
10 oz French green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch long pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 handful of blanched skinned sweet almonds
1 Spanish onion, chopped
1 tsp pimienton (or to taste)
2 ripe plums tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped
1 pinch saffron threads, crushed and added to 3 tbsp hot water
3 tsp red wine vinegar
Toasted Spanish peasant bread
Garnish – 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, rolled and thinly sliced

Method::
Put the chickpeas, whole pieces of pork and sliced carrots into a deep cassrole or pan, add sufficient stock to come three quarters way up the casserole then place over a medium beat, bring up to the boil, add the butternut squash, French green beans, season and gently bring up to simmering point, cook for 15 minutes
Add the olive oil to a frying pan (with a nob of butter for extra taste) set over a medium heat, add the garlic and almonds, cook for about 2 minutes, keep moving all the time, remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl lined with kitchen paper to remove as much oil as possible
Add the onion to the frying pan and cook until softened but not browned, about 3 to 4 minutes
Add the pimienton, stir then add the tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of the stock from the casserole, continue cooking until the tomatoes soften, reduce and deepen in colour, this should take about 5 to 6 minutes, while stirring add the casserole then stir in the saffron
Cook over a gentle heat until the vegetables are tender, the butternut squash should have begun to disintegrate, add more stock should the soup become too thick
When ready remove the meat from the soup, cut up into pieces and serve separately
Put the almonds and garlic in a food processor and blitz until finely ground, gradually add the red wine vinegar while stirring, then add to the soup, simmer for 5 minutes then transfer to a serving dish

When I was a child my Mum and I used to regularly go the coast for the day. Usually during winter when the seas were wild and stormy (we lived near the North Yorkshire coastline in the UK). These are ones of my most treasured memories, and as such a soup we frequently had is high on my list of comfort foods – this soup was Golden Vegetable. Here is an alternative created to ease those increasingly cold evenings.

Soup
1 mild onion – diced
1 shallot – diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 carrot  – diced
1 parsnip – diced
1 small turnip – diced
2 sticks of celery – diced
4oz chestnut mushrooms – quartered
2 tsp fresh thyme – finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley – finely chopped
1½ vegetable or chicken stock
1 tsp Vegemite yeast extract
Sea salt and black pepper

Dumplings:
4 oz self-raising wholemeal flour
2 oz vegetable suet
½ tsp of sea salt
1 tsp of fresh sage – finely chopped
1 tsp of English mustard powder
2 tbsp milk

Method:
Sauté the onion, shallot, garlic, carrots, parsnip, turnip and celery with the herbs over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, stirring to prevent the vegetables sticking

Add the quartered mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the stock, Vegemite and seasoning and simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes

Sieve the flour, mustard powder and sea salt into a mixing bowl, stir in the herbs and vegetable suet. Add the milk and mix to a soft dough, being careful not to overwork

Form the mixture into small dumplings, place them into the casserole, simmer for 15 minutes, or until the dumplings puff up and rise to the top of the soup

Serve immediately with crusty bread.