Scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms, Revuelto de Setas —and the walled city of Avila
In my aim to make the most of my time, I love it when I can make two different dishes out of one. Wild garlicky mushrooms with sherry that I made as a side dish for an entrée, become today one of the main ingredients in revuelto de setas, scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms.
Today’s recipe for scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms is simple, because it uses the previous post’s recipe. This is one of those comfort food, rustic dishes that are made all over Spain, but are specially popular in central Spain, in the Castiles.
Last summer, I had the chance to taste some of those dishes during my trip to the cities of Salamanca, Avila and Segovia in the region of Castile and Leon. I gave you a tour of Salamanca in the last two posts, with the recipes for wild garlicky mushrooms with sherry and fried eggplant sticks. Today, it’s Avilas turn.
Basilica de San Vicente, main example of the Romanesque style in Avila
Walking on the walls of Avila
Avila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Let’s start by saying that the old town of Avila and its extramuros churches (the churches outside of its walls) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. Founded in the 11th century to protect the Spanish territories from the Moors, this ‘City of Saints and Stones’ has maintained its medieval austerity.
Located in the region of Castile and Leon, northeast of Madrid, Avila is an outstanding example of a fortified city from the Middle Ages, known not just for one of its monuments, but for an extensive number of them. The density of religious and secular monuments, both inside and outside of its walls, makes it an urban ensemble of exceptional value. The medieval walls that surround the old city may be the most recognizable of them, but Avila can be called many different names, depending on what aspect of its monuments we refer to.
The Palace of the Rey Niño, the Child King, houses the post office. And I voted there for Spain’s general elections!
Palatial Avila
Avila is home to examples of civil architecture that include fortified houses and palaces built during the 15th and 16th centuries. Most of them are located inside the walls and follow its layout to form a second inner line of defense. Others stand in plazas near the gates to the town. Examples of them are the palace of Los Verdugo, the Palace of Superunda, the Palace of Serrano, the Palace of Los Dávila, the Palace of Bracamonte, the Palace of Los Velada, the House of Los Almarza, the Palace of Polentinos, the Palace of Juan de Henao, the Palace of Los Aguila and the House of Los Deanes.
Many of these palaces can be visited, like the Palace of Los Velada, now a hotel and restaurant, or the House of Los Deanes, built in the 16th century and which now houses the Museum of Avila. The open-to-the-public section of the museum is located in the romanic church of Santo Tomé, located on the same square and where we can appreciate Avila’s vetton past, its romanization and its past muslim and jewish presence.
Monasterio de Santo Tomás and Palace of the Catholic Monarchs
Cloister of the Catholic Monarchs at Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás and Royal Palace
On the footsteps of Saint Teresa and the Camino de Santiago
The tomb of Prince Juan
Cloister of the Novitiate at the Monasterio de Santo Tomás and Palace of the Catholic Monarchs
The tomb of Prince Juan, son of Queen Isabella and King Fernando
Isabelline Avila, retreat of monarchs
Queen Isabella the Catholic was born in the province of Avila, in the village of Madrigal de las Altas Torres. She spent much of her life in two of Avila’s most emblematic monasteries, the monastery of Santa Ana and the monastery of Santo Tomás, both outside of the walls of the city and both of which bear the title of Royal Monastery.
The monastery of Santo Tomás is very particular thanks to its three magnificent cloisters, one of which was the summer palace of the Catholic monarchs. The monastery also contains an altarpiece by Pedro Berruguete. Prominent in the church is the tomb of Prince Juan, the only son of Isabel and Fernando, the Catholic monarchs, who died suddenly at the age of 19.
On the trail of Saint Teresa de Avila
Church of San Juan, where St teresa was baptized
The trail of Saint Teresa
In Avila, Saint Teresa is plainly known as la Santa. Saint Teresa was born in 1515 to a large family. Her father came from a family of converted jews and her mother was related to many of the kingdom’s illustrious families.
Many monuments in Avila are related to la Santa, like the church and convent of Santa Teresa, where she was born, or the church of San Juan, where she was baptized. She retreated to the Convent of Nuestra Señora de Gracia, and she prepared her reform at the Monastery of the Incarnation. Her first founded convent was the Convent of San José, also called Las Madres.
The wall at night
View of the wall from the Mirador de los Cuatro Postes
Monumental Avila
Walls of Avila
The walls of Avila are the best example of Romanesque military architecture in Spain and a unique example of medieval European architecture. They have a perimeter of 2.5 km, 87 turrets, 9 gates and 3 small gates, and they run around an area covering 33 hectares. Come nighttime, the view of the illuminated walls from the Mirador de los Cuatro Postes lookout is a spectacle not to be missed.
The cimorro of the Cathedral is set in Avila’s walls
The cathedral
Called Cathedral of El Salvador, the Savior, it stands as both church and fortress and its apse, known locally as the cimorro and set in the walls, is the most imposing turret in the east wall. Considered the first Gothic cathedral in Spain (XII century), it stands on the remains of an original Romanesque church that was devoted to the Savior, El Salvador, and that had been left in ruins after successive Muslim attacks.
Its imposing plateresque retrochoir is intricately decorated with high-reliefs representing in great detail five scenes from the childhood of Jesus. The impressive walnut choir dates from the first half of the XV century. The cathedral museum, located in the sacristy, houses a large number of works of art.
The cenotaph at Basilica of San Vicente, in honor of child martyrs Vicente, Sabina and Cristeta
Detail of the cenotaph
Basilica of San Vicente
It’s the main example of the Romanesque style in Avila and in the country, with many architectural and sculptural unique elements. The most notable aspect of the exterior are the decorated western and southern gates. The interior, with its three apses, holds a wealth of iconography. The the main attraction is the cenotaph, in polychrome stone, that tells the story of child siblings Vicente, Sabina and Cristeta, martyred during the rule of Roman emperor Diocletian in early 4th century.
The town of Avila has some beautiful churches outside the walls like San Andrés, San Martín, Santa María de la Cabeza, San Segundo, San Nicolás and the Ermita de las Vacas.
Jewish Avila, the Sepharad Route
Avila had an important Jewish population, whose imprint is part of the town’s cultural heritage. Although there is an abundance of written documentation, few architectural, archaeological testimonies can be attributed to them. The synagogue of Belforad, the rabbi’s old house is well preserved today and converted into a boutique hotel (that’s where we stayed!). There’s also the gardens of Moshé de León, which pay tribute to the Jewish mystic, who wrote the universal work of the Kabbalah or book of splendor. The old Jewish tanneries of San Segundo are a unique example of the way in which leather was worked in the middle ages. And there’s also the Jewish cemetery called the garden of Sefarad.
Like the city of Salamanca, walking the streets of Avila is like stepping back in time, and if Salamanca used to be home to famous writers, politicians, professors and astronomers, in Avila we walked in the steps of monarchs and saints.
Avila’s food
No visit to any city or town is complete without tasting its food, and Avila has some specialties one cannot miss. Patatas revolconas (coarsely mashed potatoes with pimentón, pancetta and torreznos, crunchy pork rinds), Avila’s white beans, or melt-in-your-mouth chuletón (Avila’s T-bone steak) were on our dinner menu, and yemas de Santa Teresa, a smooth, bite-size dessert made with egg yolks and sugar, the sweet end to a memorable dinner, accompanied by Ribera del Duero, the world famous wine of the region. This dinner was at the restaurant in the palace of Los Velada.
Avila and the surrounding provinces that compose the region of Castile and Leon have a very rich gastronomy based on its most famous ingredients. Porcine, bovine, ovine, caprine or game are abundant and rich in the region, as are the cheeses made with the animal’s milk. A variety of legumes is grown and it’s part of some of its basic dishes, as is mushroom foraging. Castile and Leon is home to one of Europe’s largest extension of forests, home to more than 1500 documented species of mushrooms. Who knows if the varieties I used to make scrambled eggs with wild mushrooms grow there!
SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH WILD MUSHROOMS
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup trumpet royale mushrooms
- 1/4 cup hen of the woods mushrooms
- 1/4 cup maitake mushrooms
- 1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic head of garlic
- 3 Tbs dry sherry
- 2 tsp flat leave parsley
- Flakes of sea salt to taste
- 3 eggs
Instructions
- Prepare the mushrooms: separate the maitake and shiitake mushrooms into individual ones. With your fingers, tear the hen of the woods mushrooms into smaller pieces, about 1 inch. Slice the stems of the trumpet royale mushrooms transversally, then slice the caps.
- Thinly slice the garlic cloves.
- In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Sauté the garlic until soft. Remove the garlic and most of the oil from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, sauté the slices of trumpet mushrooms in one layer. After one minute, turn them over to sauté them on other side.
- Add the remaining mushrooms and the reserved garlic and olive oil to the pan. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms acquire a golden color. Season with sea salt and add the sherry. Stir to combine. Raise the heat to medium high. Let the wine cook and evaporate slightly.
- Beat the eggs and pour them over the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the eggs become firmer, 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with minced parsley. Remove the pan from the stove and serve with rustic bread.
Notes
