Potaje De Garbanzos Chickpea Stew Recipe& Things to do in Zamora, Spain

Potaje De Garbanzos Chickpea Stew  Recipe

Potaje is a soup. It can be made with vegetables, lentils, or chickpeas. My in-laws eat a chickpea potaje, made with chickpeas, spinach, rice, garlic, and paprika. This recipe will vary greatly from household to household, though. This is for the primer plato (first plate). For the segundo plato, the second plate, they will most often eat some form of bacalao (cod) or another type of fish. For example, bacalao al ajoarriero, cod with braised vegetables (e.g., tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic) and potaje de vigilia, which can have chickpeas, cod, spinach, and paprika, decorated with hard-boiled egg.

INGREDIENTS

SERVINGS 6 UNITS 

·         1lb chickpeas, dried

·         4cups water

·         6garlic cloves, peeled

·         2bay leaves

·         ¹⁄₄lb thick slab bacon or ¹⁄₄ lbsalt pork

·         1ham bone or 1 beef bone

·         2tablespoons olive oil (Spanish for authenticity)

·         2slices bread, 1/2-inch thick (crusty or rustic style)

·         ¹⁄₄cup Spanish ham (Spanish mountain cured or prosciutto) or ¹⁄₄ cup prosciutto, diced (Spanish mountain cured or prosciutto)

·         1medium onion, finely chopped

·         ¹⁄₂teaspoon paprika

·         1lb swiss chard or 1 lb collard greens, coarsely chopped

·         1lb small red potato, peeled (about 2 inches in diameter or larger potatoes cut in 2 inch chunks)

·         salt, to taste

·         10blanched almonds, finely chopped

• 2hard-boiled eggs

DIRECTIONS

1.      Soak the chickpeas overnight in a large pot of cold water to cover; drain.

2.    In the large pot combine chickpeas, 4 cups water, garlic, bay leaves, slab bacon, and bone; bring to a boil, cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours.

3.    Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the oil and saute the bread slices until golden on both sides.

4.    Remove and reserve the bread.

5.     Add the ham and onion to the skillet; saute until the onion has wilted.

6.    Stir in the paprika, and remove the pan from the heat.

7.     Add the onion mixture to the chickpeas.

8.    Add the greens, potatoes, and salt to taste to the chickpeas and continue cooking 30 minutes or more, or until the chickpeas and potatoes are tender.

9.    Remove the ham or beef bone.

10.                        In a mortar or food processor, combine the sauteed bread, almonds, 2 Tablespoons of the chickpeas from the pot, and the yolks of the hard-boiled eggs; mash to a paste.

11.  Stir the paste into the stew, cover and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

12.Chop the hard-boiled egg whites.

13.Divide into soup bowls and garnish with chopped hard-boiled egg whites.

Zamora, Spain

The city of Zamora in Castella-León, preserves in its old town an important legacy of Romanesque art, which has earned it the declaration of Historic-Artistic site. Set on the banks of the River Duero and right on the Via de la Plata (Silver Road) route, its medieval importance has left a mark in the shape of walls, palaces and churches. To get to know the history and art of the province better, there is nothing better than looking round one of the towns on the Duero Route or the Via de la Plata. You can get to know it in more depth through its cuisine and traditions, like the celebration of Easter, declared to be of International Tourist Interest.

The Puente de Piedra (Stone Bridge) that crosses the Duero takes you into the city with a strong medieval imprint, known as the City of Romanesque. Its buildings effortlessly take you back to the Middle Ages, a period when the city withstood sieges and attacks. Known as "the Well Protected", because of its triple defensive ring, it preserves the first of these walls almost entirely. Among the stretches of wall, three gates - the Portillo de la Traición, the Puerta de Doña Urraca and the Puerta del Obispo - are outstanding.Dominating the whole layout are the Castle and the Cathedral.Romanesque JewelSurrounded by the Castle Park is this fortress of Arab origin which still preserves its Keep, gate and the moat. Beside it stands the tower and dome of the Cathedral of Zamora, which are undoubtedly its most characteristic elements. The gadroon dome and roof with flakes of stone, in Byzantine style, were built in the 12^th century; while the Romanesque tower that accompanies them dates from the 13^th. Inside the church, the wrought iron screens and pulpits, the bas-reliefs of the choir stalls and the Neoclassical cloister, which houses the Cathedral Museum, are the outstanding features.On your way to the Plaza Mayor, through narrow cobbled streets, you can admire a fine set of Romanesque churches, like those of San Ildefonso, La Magdalena or San Cipriano. Vaults with Gothic arches, apses and doorways decorated with plant motifs and the oldest reliefs in the city are some of the jewels that you will encounter in this lovely walk among the monuments. It is worth stopping amid the capitals and archivolts of all the Romanesque churches you will find on your way.In civil architecture, we should point out some emblematic buildings of Renaissance design: the Hospital de la Encarnación, seat of the Provincial Council; the Old City Hall, ordered to be built by the Catholic Monarchs; the Palace of the Momos, nowadays the seat of the Provincial Courts; and the Cordón Palace, which houses the Museum of Zamora. Another jewel of Renaissance architecture is the Palace of the Counts of Alba de Aliste (15^th C.), nowadays a Parador de Turismo. In it you can relax on a canopied bed, admire its courtyards and try the region's culinary specialities. Zamora-style rice, stuffed hake and custard with almonds are some of the suggested of a varied menu centred on products of Castile and León. However, if what you want to do is to follow the customs of this place you should go to the area around Calle Herreros, which you will be served wine from the Toro Denomination of Origin (chato) accompanied by a slice of bacon or fried pork (a tapa).EasterThe best time for coming to Zamora is during the Easter celebrations, a Festival of International Tourist Interest; or in summer, when visitors can walk around the city guided by the medieval legends of the Romancero, which are staged in the most charming corners of the city.The province of Zamora has interesting historic places set in countryside of great landscape and natural value, which you can get to know through some of the best-known tours of this region. The Vía de la Plata route that links Seville with Oviedo has passed through here since Roman times. On it, you will discover the treasures preserved in Benavente, Valparaíso, and La Hiniesta. The other great spine route through this landscape is the Ribera del Duero. Among its scenery you will find many castles as, in the 10^th century, it was the frontier with the Muslim world.Toro, covered in vineyards, and Arribes del Duero are other points of interest. Lovers of natural areas have the opportunity to go to the Lago de Sanabria Natural Park, where they will find, among lovely mountain landscape, the largest lake in Spain. Its Interpretation Centre shows the best paths for walking around the area.

Main sights

·         Cathedral, in Romanesque style, dating to the 12th century, taking only 23 years to build.

·         Medieval castle.

·         Palacio de los Condes de Alba y Aliste, built in 1459 by the first Count of Alva y Aliste. It boasts a patio and staircase decorated with carvings by artists from Lombardy.

·         Calle Balborraz.

·         Church of San Pedro y San Ildefonso, built from the 11th century, probably over a Visigothic temple. It was reformed in Romanesque style in the 12th–13th centuries, but was much renovated in the 15th and 18th centuries. It has presently a single nave with cross vaults

·         Church of Santa María Magdalena. The southern façade is in Romanesque style, dating back to the 13th century.

·         Church of San Isidoro (12th century). It has one nave, having a square major chapel. The exterior features two ogival arcades with archivolts.

·         Church of San Claudio de Olivares, known from the 12th century. Of small size, it has a single nave with a presbytery and a semicircular apse. The columns of the nave have carvings.

·         Church of San Juan de Puerta Nueva (12th century stained glass circular window, symbol of Zamora).

·         Church of Santa María la Nueva (12th century, baptistery dating back to the 13th century).

·         Church of Santiago de los Caballeros (11th century), located outside the city walls. El Cid was created knight here.

·         Church of Santiago El Burgo (Southern façade, 12th century Romanesque)

·         City walls: three walled enclosures dating back to the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries.

·         Museo de Semana Santa de Zamora: Opposite the Church of Santa María la Nueva, dedicated to Semana Santa de Zamora the processions during which are celebrated with particular ceremony in Zamora. The museum holds a large collection of pasos, the figures which are carried in procession through the streets by various 'cofradías' or brotherhoods. See Holy Week in Zamora

Surroundings

·         Arcenillas church (15th century panels)

·         Hiniesta church (Gothic, sculptures and murals)

·         The Church of San Pedro de la Nave, (village of El Campillo – 12 km distant) was founded in the 7th century, rebuilt in the 12th century, and is one of the three best-preserved Visigothic churches in all of Spain. It was moved stone by stone and then re-erected, owing to the construction of a reservoir on its original site.

Transportation

The city is served by the Zamora Railway Station, located on one of the Spanish North-Northwestern high speed lines.

 Climate

Zamora has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk), with cool winters and hot summers. Precipitation is mainly recorded in the two seasons, spring and autumn, with summer characterized by droughts. The highest temperature ever recorded is 41.0 °C on 24 July 1995 while the minimum stood at −13.4 °C on 16 January 1945.

Fog occurring frequently over the winter period, often lasting for days, has tended to lower the average temperature.

Food

Food specialties in Zamora include the pulses, the chickpeas or 'garbanzos' from Fuentesauco, the exquisite cheese made from sheep's milk, honey from Sanabria, asparagus from Guareña, peppers from Benavente, steak from Aliste, mushrooms, game, cold meats, cakes and sweets.

Other specialties are the rice dishes from Zamora and the Toro wines (very dark, almost black, nowadays made using modern techniques – with a rapidly growing reputation for their taste and quality). Traditional dishes include bacalao a la tranca (a cod dish), pulpo a la sanabresa (an octopus dish), dos y pingada (two fried eggs with fried ham, usually served at Easter) and presas de ternera (a beef dish). For dessert there is the rebojo Zamorano, a very tasty though hard type of bun, and las natillas almendradas (Spanish style custard with almonds).