Serafino's stew… without meat!
🌿 Born behind the counter of a Genoese butcher shop, this all-vegetable dish has been passed down through generations, until it arrived to me!
Some recipes are born out of abundance; others, out of necessity. The stew I share with you today belongs to the latter: a humble yet ingenious dish that transforms the absence of meat into an opportunity to celebrate the freshness of spring vegetables.
I learned this recipe from my dear friend Serafino Consigliere, during a cooking class here in Genoa. Serafino was once one of the city's most renowned butchers, and his family ran - jointly with the butcher shop - a historic trattoria in the Marassi neighborhood. Though retired, his passion for food is still very much alive—he continues to share his vast knowledge through cooking classes and culinary events.
Now, you might be wondering: what does a butcher have to do with a meatless stew? The answer lies in his family’s history. This dish was a staple in Serafino’s childhood home, prepared by his mother on days when the family butcher shop had no leftover meat to bring home. A simple, rustic, yet incredibly flavorful dish that at home they called Stew from Montoggio, the small village in the backcountry of Genoa where his mother was born.
Spring dictated the recipe: artichokes, fava beans, peas, and potatoes, slowly simmered until their flavors melded together in a rich, delicate harmony. Once considered a “makeshift” stew, today it’s a celebration of the season’s best ingredients.
Here the recipe! Enjoy it now, that spring vegetables are just appearing on the markets’ stalls (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere😊)
Serafino’s Meatless Stew Recipe
Ingredients (Serves 4)
3 artichokes
100 g (3.5 oz) fresh peas, shelled
120 g (4 oz) fresh fava beans, shelled
150 g (5 oz) cherry tomatoes
1 white onion
2 medium potatoes
½ liter (2 cups) vegetable broth
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of fresh Italian parsley finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Method
Prepare the vegetables
Heat the vegetable broth.
Trim the artichokes by removing the tough outer leaves, the spiky tips, and the fuzzy choke inside. Slice them thinly. Shell the peas and fava beans. Finely slice the onion. Cut the potatoes into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes. Quarter the cherry tomatoes.
Cook the stew
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and let it soften for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Avoid browning it too much.
Add all the other vegetables and stir well.
Pour in two ladles of warm broth (about 250 ml / 1 cups), partially cover with a lid, and let simmer on low heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The stew is ready when the vegetables, especially the potatoes, are soft. Adjust the salt and serve warm with a sprinkle of fresh parsley finely chopped.
This stew from Montoggio carries the essence of Liguria’s past—a time when creativity turned scarcity into something delicious.
If you love traditional Ligurian recipes, the stories behind them, and the deep connection between food and territory, you’ll find plenty more in my book, "Liguria in Cucina – The Flavors of Liguria." It’s a journey through flavors, ingredients, and tales that preserve the culinary soul of this region.
Have a look!