Easy Potaje de Vigilia Recipe

Few dishes have the efficacy of becoming the symbol of a celebration and remain in that symbolic role for years, even centuries. Vigil Potaje is one of these recipes so this article will be dedicated to it.

El Potaje de Vigilia is one of the best-known chickpeas recipes in Andalusia, and it is a soup or stew of fish, chickpeas, and spinach, among other ingredients. Our Spanish soup recipes are easy to follow and always delicious.

If you want to know more about this Spanish main dish, its role in Spanish culture, how you can prepare it at home, and the different changes or customizations you can make, keep scrolling down this article.

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Background of the Dish

The Potaje de Vigilia stands out over other recipes with chickpeas because this has a role in the history and tradition of all of Spain, but especially in Andalusia.

This dish has been eaten for hundreds of years during Lent or Easter, and it is one of the dishes eaten by the people who abstain from eating meat during that time.

In some homes, it is even chosen as the favorite dish for Glory Sunday of Holy Week. Check out how the Spanish celebrate Semana Santa in Spain if you want to learn more.

Something that makes it even more unique is that the cod manages to stand out over chickpeas and spinach, and if there is something they are good at in the south of Spain, it is their fishing.

The addition of this ingredient is something that elevates this recipe and makes it even more Andalusian.

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Things You’ll Need for Potaje de Vigilia

This Potaje de Vigilia recipe stands out from other chickpea dishes because it only has only a few ingredients such as chickpeas, spinach, and cod fish.

When it comes to the other ones, you can make as many replacements as you want (we’ll get into that later).

As well as other Spanish soup recipes, you just need one large pot to make this soup, so there isn’t any excuse not to start making it.

Ingredients

• 180g of chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 hard-boiled eggs
• 200g spinach
• 300g crushed tomato
• 1 cup (250ml) of fish broth
• 250g cod
• salt and pepper
• Oil

How to Make Potaje de Vigilia – Step by Step Guide

1. To make this chickpea soup recipe, it is better if you buy the chickpeas that are pre-cooked because in that case you only have to wash them. Otherwise, you should soak it overnight and cook it for 2 hours. In any case, wash them with a little water before use.

2. Prepare a stir fry. To do this, in a pan, put a splash of oil and heat it over low heat. When hot, add the onion and pepper. Both ingredients are finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper and let them cook for about 10 minutes, always over low heat while you stir everything frequently.

3. After this time, when the onion is already soft, add the crushed tomato. Stir again so that the tomato is integrated and let everything cook for another 10 minutes.

4. When the water released by the tomato has evaporated, put the stirfry for the vigil soup in a mixing glass, add the fish broth, and beat well until everything is very finely ground, without lumps.

5. To the cooked chickpeas, add the sauce you just made, the chopped cod, and spinach, (plus 1 cup of fish broth if it’s too thick). Stir lightly to mix these ingredients and cover the pan again to cook everything for 5 more minutes.

6. After this time, uncover and see how the size of the spinach has decreased. It is the turn to add the boiled eggs cut in half and seasoned. With your hands, make a few circular movements with the pan so that the egg is submerged and finishes cooking. Once this is done, serve the dish hot and enjoy.

Substitution of Ingredients

If you are looking to make substitutions in your recipe for Potaje de Vigilia, for whatever reason that might be, here are a few ideas.

The best thing you can do is take inspiration from other chickpeas recipe ideas.

For example, there is the chickpea soup without spinach, so you can easily remove the spinach or the fish (although it would not be the classic waking soup).

If you don’t like cod you can use hake or other similar fish meat.

Chicken and chorizo also work very well in this recipe, although you should cook them beforehand.

But if you add any other type of meat instead of fish, you won’t longer be able to eat it during Easter.

Try the Spanish chickpea stew, which is a bit similar but contains a variety of Spanish meats, like chorizo, black pudding, and ham.

The Spanish chickpea soup is also worth a try if you want something nutritious and easy to make.

This recipe is so much more than just espinacas con garbanzos, and for that same reason, you can also replace the garbanzos.

You can use lentils, beans, or any type of legume you like.

Tips on Serving Potaje de Vigilia

The Potaje de Vigilia is a recipe that is usually eaten during Easter or Lent.

Despite that, it is one of the most popular chickpea meals and you can enjoy it at any time of the year.

If you want this Potaje de Vigilia to stand out from other chickpea dinner recipes, you can serve it with some grated cheese and bread croutons. 

How to Store Potaje de Vigilia

In the same way that it happens with other types of Spanish bean soup, in theory, you can freeze it, but it isn’t always recommended. 

With this being said, for the Potaje de Vigilia recipe present in this article, the flavor will be the same if you freeze it or if you eat it right away.

However, the garbanzos might gain a weird texture, like a sandy texture, and it isn’t the best. If you buy good quality garbanzos, then you won’t have this problem.

You can freeze this Spanish soup for up to 30 days, and let it thaw overnight before eating it.

You can also store it in the fridge for up to 4 days and heat it on the stove or microwave before eating it. 

Recipe Card: Potaje de Vigilia

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