Once you’ve tried peas with ham you may never make them any other way. Enjoy them on their own, like a stew, or as a side dish.
It’s a myth the Spanish don’t eat vegetables. With a fruit stand, vegetable market or supermarket on nearly every block in a Spanish city it’s hard to miss the green stuff. Yet, if you visit a travel website or an expat forum you’re likely to see complaints that there’s nothing to eat in Spain except jamón and tortilla. While it’s true that a restaurant kitchen isn’t open 24 hours a day, it’s not true you won’t be served anything green, especially if you tell the waiter what you’re looking for.
A brief description of Spanish meals
A lot of times the problem stems from the fact that your stomach is still on US time. The Spanish are pretty set in their eating schedules and don’t care that you’re starving. In the morning it’s coffee and a sweet or toast. Around noon they might switch to wine or beer and a tapa. The midday meal is served between 2 and 4pm and if you’re late you’re going to be served whatever is left.
If you order from the Menú del Día, the first course will include vegetables. Usually it’s some sort of salad or they may serve something like peas with ham. The second course will usually have potatoes and meat. Followed by dessert and coffee. Until 8pm or so, the Spanish will have a merienda or snack, which might be a sandwich or another pastry. The evening meal is served very late, after 9pm.
Outside of the regular meals it will be difficult to purchase prepared green vegetables in a restaurant, unless it’s in a tapa or you happen to be in a specialty restaurant. Eso es como es. If you can’t wait, there are fast food places where you can not only purchase a salad, but a beer as well. Or, in many cities you can visit the supermercado in the Corte Inglés and marvel at the prices while you pick out the makings of a meal. 
In Valladolid, the bars serve vegetable based tapas year round depending on the season. In the fall they begin to serve stewed vegetables and beans. We were pleasantly surprised recently when our favorite seafood place, Pedro Olivar, set a small bowl of peas with ham (guisantes con jamón) in front of us along with our glasses of red wine.
Oh my goodness I could have eaten a whole plate! It reminded me of a dish from my childhood called Peas and Dumplings which is an Eastern Shore tradition. The peas were combined with sauteed onions and jamón and cooked in broth which is thickened with flour or cornstarch and seasoned with smoky pimentón and bay leaf.
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen peas fresh is fine, it will take longer to cook
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- olive oil for sauteeing
- pinch of red pepper flake
- 3 ounces chopped jamón or baked ham (about 5 grams)
- 2 - 3 bay leaves
- 1 quart vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons smoky paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 - 3 tablespoons flour or cornstarch
Instructions
- Saute the onions and the red pepper flake in a little olive oil
- Add the jamón and stir to render the fat
- Stir in the broth and add the peas. Add more broth (or water) if necessary to cover the peas.
- Season with salt, pepper and smoky paprika, add the bay leaves.
- Cover and bring to a simmer and cook until the peas are softened.
- Make a slurry with the flour and a small amount of water and stir into the broth. Use more flour if you want a thicker sauce. (I used a product called Maizena which is a type of corn flour)
In Spain, it would not be considered odd to throw a fried egg on top and sop everything up with a slice of bread. Enjoy!
More recipes with fresh and frozen peas:
I agree that it’s a myth that the Spanish don’t eat vegetables! This is such a great recipe. Another one of my favourite is pisto! Yummy… and can’t get more vegetables than that!
Pisto is a favorite for us, too.
This is such a great, classic dish. Haven’t had it in years, and years. Gotta do it again soon — it’s a good one. And your version is superb. Thanks!
The smoky paprika makes a nice flavor change. Thanks for dropping by, John. 🙂