Book of Days Tales

On this date in 1809, in the city of La Paz  in what is now Bolivia, colonel Pedro Domingo Murillo and others besieged the city barracks and forced the governor, Tadeo Davila and the bishop of La Paz, Remigio de la Santa y Ortega, to resign. Murillo famously said that the Bolivian revolution was lighting a torch of liberty that nobody would be able to extinguish. Many historians agree that this event marked the beginning of the liberation of the relevant colonies in south America from Spanish rule. Political power in La Paz passed to the local cabildo until a “Junta Tuitiva de los Derechos del Pueblo” (“Junta, keeper of the rights of the people”), headed by Murillo, was formed. On July 27, the Junta proclaimed independence for La Paz and surrounds (at the time belonging to the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata which covered a large part of south America) . In the following decades virtually all of Spanish south American colonies declared independence, but it took numerous bloody battles, and not mere declarations, to gain their liberty in reality.

The most well-known dish in La Paz is sanduíche de chola, a round bun loaded chock full with specially roast pork, homemade sauces, and vegetables.  You cannot recreate this dish at home. As I will often suggest concerning local cuisine, if this sandwich is appealing to you, buy a ticket to La Paz.  Here instead is a Bolivian spicy lentil stew,  ají de lentejas, which I made all the time in the cold weather in south America (July is winter).  Use brown lentils which retain their shape and texture better than other types. In Bolivian Spanish “sarsa” is what is called “salsa” in other parts of Latin America.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon smoked dried hot pepper, ground  

1 large onion, peeled and chopped finely

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped  

½ cup Italian parsley, finely chopped (or to taste)

1 cup dried lentils

olive oil

salt and pepper

sarsa

1 medium tomato, diced fine

½ onion, peeled and sliced thin

¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 lime, juiced

salt

Instructions

You can make the sarsa well ahead of time.  Best to make it at least the day before, preferably earlier.  Combine all the ingredients in a mason jar or similar.  Shake well and then refrigerate. 

Put the lentils in a saucepan and cover with water. Add salt to taste and half of the garlic. Bring to a simmer, cook for 25 minutes, then drain and set aside.

Heat some olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add the other half of the garlic plus the parsley and sauté until the garlic is pale golden.  Do not overcook or the garlic will be bitter. Add the chopped onion and continue to cook until it is translucent. Add ¼ cup of water, the hot pepper, and the chopped tomatoes, plus salt and pepper to taste. Turn to a low simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.  Add back the reserved lentils and continue simmering for 10 minutes or until the lentils are well cooked to your standards.

Serve over boiled white or brown rice and topped with sarsa.