ilia (Vegetable stew) whit paprika

 

Easter is fast approaching and in our land there are traditional dishes that we wish to show you how to make.  With this “Potaje de Vigilia” (Vegetable stew) recipe we’ll be showing you today another one of our spices which is none other than  “paprika”.

Some people cook this dish throughout Lent, but the traditional day in most households for eating the stew is Good Friday.

Potaje de Vigilia (Vegetable Stew) Ingredients

  • 300 g of dried chickpeas
  • 300 g of desalted cod
  • 250 g of fresh spinach
  • 2 medium onions
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 egg
  • 1 slice of bread
  • 1dessert spoon of Paprika
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt

 

Potaje de Vigilia (Vegetable stew) Preparation

Prior to starting to cook the cod must be left to soak and the chickpeas left to soak the day before. Twelve (12) hours for the chickpeas is enough and if you wish to add a spoonful of baking soda or a handful of salt to the chickpeas, you can do so.

As stated the cod should be soaked in water for 48 hours, changing the water a couple of times to rid of the salt, or there is also the option of buying the cod already desalted from the fishmonger or fish market.

In a traditional pot with water, start cooking the chickpeas, about an hour and a half is suffice if you have the time or otherwise cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker for about 15-20 minutes. Add 2 cloves of garlic and the bay leaf.

Whilst the chickpeas are boiling we can use that time to make the sautéed vegetables. Dice a clove of garlic and only peel the other clove and then chop the onions in julienne.

In a frying pan add oil to one’s preference and taste and then add the garlic to fry when it is golden brown remove the clove and next add the onion, adding a pinch of salt, when the onion is softened, we turn the stove or flame off and set aside to cool. Lastly adding the paprika and stir until well-mixed and set aside.

Then we boil the egg which will be used later when plating and serving the dish.

When the chickpeas are cooked, the broth is strained into broth into another pot together with the chickpeas but without the garlic or bay leaf.

In the new pot boil over medium heat once again , when it begins to boil , combine the sautéed vegetables and stir. And then adding the spinach also. Do a taste test for salt and leave to boil for about 2 minutes.

Next crumble the cod, and add into the pot and stir until well-mixed once again. Our stew will be ready in 5 minutes.

 

To thicken up the broth fry the bread until golden brown and crunchy, then crumble and add into a mortar, next add the clove of garlic and proceed to crush the mixture, after the 5 minutes that we have already mentioned have lapsed, proceed to blend the mixture into the stew.

Just prior to serving, peel the egg, cut into slices and add to the pot.

 

It is also very typical to add stuffed cod.

For the stuffed cod:

  • 100 g of bread crumbs from the previous day
  • 50 g of crumbled cod, with no skin or bones
  • 2 beaten eggs
  • frying oil
  • 1 garlic, parsley

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