Vigil Stew Recipe

During the days when meat is not an option for some people, what better thing to cook than this recipe for Vigil stew? Although it is characteristic of certain dates, it can be consumed throughout the year, since it is perfect during the coldest days and it is a real delight. Among the ingredients, you can add more spinach, or add variety to other ingredients in your own recipe. This Easter you will be able to enjoy this dish in any restaurant or bar. Shall we begin?

Ingredients:

  • 300 g of dried garbanzo beans
  • 300 g of desalted cod
  • 300 g of fresh spinach
  • 2 medium-sized onions
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon of Vera paprika (bittersweet)
  • 1 laurel leaf
  • Extra virgin olive oil

How to Make It:

  1. We will soak the garbanzo beans in warm water and with a handful of salt, the night before we make the stew.
  2. In a pot with a liter of water, add the drained garbanzo beans, an onion, 2 peeled cloves of garlic and a laurel leaf over medium heat for an hour and a half.
  3. While this is happening, put water in a small saucepan to boil and cook the egg.
  4. As long as the garbanzo beans are made, we’ll prepare to sauté. To do this, put a good amount of oil in a frying pan and add the chopped onion and the garlic (well minced). We’ll let them fry. When the onion is golden brown, we lower the temperature of the stove, so that the oil is tempered, and we will include a teaspoon of paprika. Stir well to mix all ingredients and then remove from the stove. (Be careful not to burn the paprika).
  5. Once the garbanzo beans are done, we take another pot where we will strain the broth of the beans, add the beans in once again, put them on medium heat and then add the sautéed ingredients, stirring them while being careful not to mush the ingredients.
  6. We throw the spinach in the pot (if not all of it at once,  we will do in several batches). Let it cook for about 5 minutes.
  7. In the meantime, break the cod into small pieces, without the skin, and add it to the pan. We go down to a low heat and move the pan in circular motions using the handle, so that all the ingredients are mixed.
  8. We leave it for a few minutes and then serve it with the chopped hard-boiled egg.

Advice:

If we want to take less time making the garbanzo beans, those can be made in the pressure cooker (about 15-20 minutes) or already be cooked. In the latter case, you have to wash them well and add them at the end to ensure the flavors are well mixed.

You can also use chard instead of spinach. In this case, we will have to add them before you’d normally add the spinach because the stalk takes longer to cook.


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