Migas Extremeñas

Method

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1. Put the torn bread in a bowl. Dissolve the salt in the water, sprinkle it over the bread with your fingers, and toss.

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2. Cover with a damp cloth and leave at least 2 hours, or overnight. The bread should feel evenly damp but nowhere near soggy.

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3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy frying pan over a medium heat and fry the garlic cloves until golden, about 3 minutes, then lift them out.

   Mark done Start 3 min timer

4. Add the chorizo and pancetta and cook 6 minutes until the fat has rendered and both are browned. Lift them out too, leaving the fat.

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5. Add the peppers and cook 6 minutes until soft and blistered, then lift out.

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6. Tip the damp bread into the flavoured fat and stir in the paprika and pepper.

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7. Now cook for 20 minutes over a medium-low heat, stirring and turning constantly with a wooden spatula. The pieces will gradually separate, shrink and turn golden and crisp.

   Mark done Start 20 min timer

8. Return the chorizo, pancetta, peppers and garlic, toss through, and cook 3 minutes more.

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9. Serve with a fried egg on top of each portion and grapes on the side — the sweetness against the paprika is the traditional pairing and it is correct.

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Chef’s Tips

• Genuinely stale bread. Fresh bread will not take the water evenly and turns to paste.
• Twenty minutes of stirring. There is no shortcut and the last five minutes are where the crispness happens.
• The grapes are not a garnish. Try it before deciding.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• A fried egg
• Grapes or melon
• A glass of cold fino

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 2 days. Re-crisp in a dry pan; they will not come back in a microwave.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.