MIGAS

This old Spanish recipe transforms old bread into a hot, filling meal. The bread is first soaked and then toasted, taking on the juice and oil of whatever else you have around and have added to the pan. There are many different variations, but classically it’s peasant or wartime food; migas means ‘crumbs’. My mum’s version is different from this recipe: she would always sit shaving the bread into a large bucket on the floor while chatting and catching up with family. Migas is the kind of thing you make for a feast where you’re feeding at least 10–12 people. This recipe is for a more manageable serving size, and I like to cut the bread into chunks rather than shaving it.

FOR 4

400g stale bread (or frozen bread), cut into 2cm-ish cubes

125ml whole milk

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus enough to cook the eggs

50g chorizo, diced

1 large long red pepper, diced

2 shallots, chopped

2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika

50g pine nuts, roasted for a couple of minutes

50g hazelnuts, roasted for a couple of minutes

60g morcilla (Spanish black pudding), cut into cubes

50ml Alameda or Oloroso sherry

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 eggs

2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Sprinkle water over the bread cubes to dampen them, then pour over the milk.

Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a wok on a medium-high heat. Working quickly, add the chorizo first. Let it caramelize and, when it releases its oil, add the peppers for a minute, then the shallots, paprika, pine nuts and hazelnuts. Next add the crumbled morcilla, then the sherry. Cook to evaporate the alcohol, then squeeze out the migas (the soaked bread) a little and add to the pan, moving everything around quickly to make sure nothing burns. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour 1cm of oil into a separate pan and put on a medium heat. Crack in the eggs, 2 at a time, and fry until they are crispy at the edges – I like to spoon some of the hot oil over the yolk, so that it cooks slightly but is still runny inside. I also lift up the white around the yolk four times so that the oil can better cook it. When the eggs are golden and crispy at the edges, remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-lined plate, then cook the next 2 eggs in the same way.

Put the crispy eggs on top of the migas, drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil and scatter over the parsley leaves. Season with salt and pepper and cut the eggs up so the yolk runs over everything.