Rome, Lazio — vignarola is specifically Roman and specifically spring, associated with the Jewish community of Rome who prepared it without meat. The name comes from 'vignarolo' (market gardener from the vineyard areas surrounding Rome) who sold these vegetables at the Campo de' Fiori market.
Vignarola is the definitive Roman spring vegetable preparation: a stew of artichokes, fresh broad beans, fresh peas, spring onions, and guanciale (or pancetta), cooked together with white wine and olive oil until all the vegetables have collapsed into each other. It is a dish of radical seasonality — it can only be made in the 4-6 weeks in spring when artichokes, fresh broad beans, and fresh peas are simultaneously available. The guanciale provides the fat base; the vegetables provide their own liquid; the combination is extraordinarily delicate and completely Roman. There is no equivalent in any other season or any other city.
Vignarola in its brief season is one of the most delicate and complete preparations in Italian cooking — the artichoke provides a mineral, slightly bitter note; the broad beans add sweet earthiness; the peas add freshness and sweetness; the guanciale ties everything with fat. The fresh mint perfumes without dominating. It tastes of Roman spring.
Prepare the vegetables: trim Roman artichokes (quarter, remove choke, submerge in acidulated water), shell fresh broad beans (blanch briefly and peel — the inner skin is bitter), shell fresh peas. Render thin slices of guanciale in a wide, heavy pan until the fat is transparent. Add sliced spring onions and soften. Add the artichoke quarters — cook 5 minutes in the fat before adding any liquid. Add white wine and enough water to barely cover. Add the broad beans and peas. Season with salt, mint (fresh — romana vignarola uses fresh mint, not parsley). Cover and cook at a low simmer for 20-25 minutes until everything is tender. The stew should be fairly dry — the vegetables should be collapsing into each other, not swimming in liquid.
The mint (mentuccia romana — the small-leaved Roman field mint, Calamintha nepeta) is the specific herb of vignarola and Roman artichoke preparations. If unavailable, fresh standard mint is used sparingly (it is stronger). The guanciale can be omitted for a vegetarian version — the vegetables produce enough flavour from their own sweetness and the wine.
Using frozen vegetables — vignarola's character comes entirely from the freshness of simultaneously in-season vegetables; frozen broad beans and peas produce a categorically inferior result. Not peeling the broad beans — the inner skin toughens and adds bitterness; peeling after blanching is essential. Overcooking — the vegetables should collapse gently, not dissolve.
Giorgio Locatelli, Made in Italy; Slow Food Editore, Lazio in Cucina