Vigil Stew Recipe

Chickpea stew with cod is one of those dishes that cannot be missed at Easter, especially on Good Friday or Lent Friday. It is a very popular stew of chickpeas, spinach, cod and egg in Andalusia, although today it is prepared throughout the country as it is an ideal spoon dish for winter and very traditional. Its exact origin is unknown, but we do know that it is a recipe that arose due to the prohibition of eating meat during the Lenten period imposed by religion. For this reason, it is such a popular dish these days.

Regardless of its history, this is a simple and very nutritious dish, since it contains proteins of high biological value, carbohydrates, fiber, minerals and vitamins. Currently, in each house they have their own way of doing it, however, we will teach you the traditional recipe so that you can enjoy it as is or make the modifications you want. Keep reading and discover with us how to make Andalusia vigil stew.

Ingredients to make Vigil Potage:

• 350 grams of chickpeas
• 200 grams of spinach
• 4 pieces of cod
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 eggs
• 1 dessert spoon of sweet paprika
• 2 potatoes
• 1 splash of olive oil
• 1 pinch of salt

How to make Vigil Potage:

1. Before starting to prepare the grandmother’s vigil stew recipe, soak the chickpeas the day before and leave them for about 8-12 hours.
2. Tip: if you make the vigil stew with canned chickpeas, skip this step.
3. Have the cod desalted to the point of salt or leave it to soak for 48 hours, changing the water of the cod about 2-3 times, and reserve in the fridge. If you have doubts about this process, in this video we teach you how to desalt cod.
4. Chop the onion very small and the garlic cloves as well, so the pieces will not be noticeable in the stew but they will provide its entire flavor.
5. Cook the eggs in water for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, let them cool, peel them and set them aside.
6. Heat a saucepan with a splash of olive oil, fry the onion. When you see that it is poached, add the chopped garlic and lower the heat a little so that they do not burn. Let these ingredients poach carefully and, before they take on color, add the paprika.
7. Add the soaked chickpeas to the pan, mix and cover with water immediately so that the paprika does not burn. Let the chickpeas cook until tender, that is, for about 60-90 minutes in a traditional casserole, although the time may vary depending on the chickpea. If you make the vigil stew in a slow cooker, the chickpeas will be ready in approximately 45 minutes.
8. Tip: if you use canned chickpeas it will not be necessary to cook them, so you can add them and go directly to the next step.
9. Peel the potatoes, cut them to taste or chop them and add them when the chickpeas are cooked.
10. Tip: not everyone makes the waking soup with potatoes, so if you prefer you can eliminate this ingredient from the recipe.
11. After 10 minutes, add the spinach and cod and continue cooking Grandma’s Lenten stew until everything is cooked. Taste for salt and add a little if you see it necessary, although the cod will add a lot of flavor.
12. Turn off the heat, cut the eggs in half or quarters, and add them to the stew to warm them up. What do you think of this recipe for chickpeas with cod and spinach?
13. Ready the waking stew recipe! Serve dishes right away to enjoy this incredible hot stew. As we say, the Andalusia vigil stew has undergone multiple changes over the years, which is why you can eliminate, add or modify ingredients. For example, you can remove the potatoes, replace the spinach with Swiss chard, or even skip the cod if you’re looking for a vegetarian option. To do this, we advise you to consult this Vigil stew recipe without cod.