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By definition menestra is a dish of mixed vegetables with broth, and some chunks but not too many. But here is where agreement ends because there are disputes over how to cook, prepare and finish off a menestra. Even the ingredients are a question of debate. Only one thing is beyond dispute: the vegetables must be fresh and in season.

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As for whether the recipe should include green beans or bobi beans, this is purely an aesthetic issue. But it is important that they be fresh, so that the strip we pull away is minimal and the beans are tender, not like plastic. For this reason we must decide if we are going to leave them whole or cut them into strips because they have different cooking times. Whole ones take nine minutes, which we reduce to eight because they will cook some in the sauce. In strips, or julienne-style, however you want to call it, the cooking time is just three or four minutes. When cooking always keep in mind that you must feel the vegetables in your mouth, that you will bite them, but not overdo it.

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Peas, yes or no. I am in favor of them, but whenever I confront peas I do it with a spoon. It is best to shell them, and you can always find some unsuspecting soul to do this on the pretext of showing them a true delicacy of Spanish cuisine. Peas are a monument to vegetables, but be careful with meat and potatoes people, who don't go along. Peas should be cooked for 12 minutes. And if what we have found are sugar peas and other varieties? We should dump the idea of peas in our menestra as excessive. We should not try to make a varietal, as is the fashion in wine-making.

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Carrots? Yes, so long as they are tender. Select small ones so they don't have too much fiber inside that will make them tough. An odd thing about carrots is when the outside is cooked the inner core can be hard. If you find carrots that come in a bunch, this is better. They will help decorate the dish by leaving a few millimeters of tail. Again, 12 minutes of cooking time.

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Now comes a key point, the onion. I tend to stay away from this kind of argument, which ends up mentioning the family. For aesthetic reasons I like small French onions. With large onions, if it is yellow, you will have to chop it up once it is cooked. Leave a bit of the part stuck to the root to make nice fans. Red onions are not good because they color the dish. But this is also the season of spring onions. These, aside from their flavor, add a nice look. However, avoid turning the menestra into onion soup. That's a whole other exciting story.

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Artichokes? Yes, if they are in season. It does not matter if they are hearts or we have roasted or grilled the whole vegetable. It is a question of taste, even if it does break with tradition a bit. I tend not to agree with adding thistle because few vegetables tend to go well with their flavour.

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Because of their origin I do tend to like borage and Spanish salsify. They are hard to find but give the dish a more rustic taste. I may have been city-born but feel more country than poppies themselves. And that rustic taste can be eased with a bit of sugar.

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Let's move on to another controversial ingredient: asparagus. I say yes, but which variety, green, thin or white? Here I am in dispute with many people. I say -- and� insist that all you have to do is taste them - that these three have different tastes even though they come from the same family of vegetable. You could use all three, freshly cooked and separately. They have different cooking times and methods.

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Spinach or Swiss chard? To this debate I would add sorrel. We can include them but only one by one, never all at once. And as for the green part, saut�ed not boiled, and only added to the rest of the menestra at the end. The white part of the chard can be added, pealing it like a thistle and boiling it for 20 minutes. Then we won't miss the white part of the thistle.

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I feel like I am forgetting some vegetable, but here this is just a question of taste. What we must make clear here is I favor cooking each thing separately. But the green vegetables must be chilled so they show off all their color. It is not a question of having a different pot for each item, rather one for most and think about the different cooking times I have mentioned. This should be enough. For other things, like asparagus or thistle, yes cook them separately.

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I have a friend who cooks the vegetables with a ham bone to give it all flavor. I don't think this is necessary. The important thing is that part of the broth come from ham, and another part from the boiling of the vegetables or the white asparagus.

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All that is left to decide is whether we are going to cut, slice or chop the garlic we are going to fry. You can also use garlic sprouts if you want. You can thicken the broth with a bit of flour, rice semolina or with vegetables. This is another debate which would take months and never yield an agreement.

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