Ingredients
Bread
- 700 gstale country bread, 2 or 3 days old
- 150 mlwater
- 1 tbspsalt
Pot
- 150 mlolive oil
- 200 gchorizo, sliced
- 150 gpanceta or streaky bacon, diced
- 1whole head of garlic, cloves unpeeled
- 2green peppers, in strips
- 1 tbspsweet pimentón
To serve
- a bunch of grapes
- fried eggs
- sardines or a slice of melon
Directions
- Cut the crusts off and dice or crumble the bread into pieces about 1 cm, which is fiddly and unavoidable. Cut them evenly. Sprinkle, do not pour. The bread should be barely damp all through, never wet, and this is the step that decides everything.
- Wrap the damp bread in a cloth or a plastic bag and leave it overnight. Skip it and you get a mixture of soggy and dry pieces that never fry properly.
- Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy pan and fry the unpeeled garlic cloves until golden, then lift them out. Leave the garlic skins on. Fry the chorizo and panceta in the same oil until they release their fat and colour, then lift them out.
- Fry the pepper strips and set them aside too. Add the pimentón to the hot oil off the heat and stir it in immediately.
- Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 30 to 40 minutes over a medium-low heat. The bread will go from damp clumps to loose, golden, individual crumbs, and the change happens slowly.
- Add more oil if the pan looks dry, because migas are not a lean dish. When the crumbs are golden and loose, fold the chorizo, panceta, peppers and garlic back in.
- Serve hot, straight from the pan, with a bunch of grapes on the side. The cold sweet grapes against the hot salty bread is the traditional pairing and it works far better than it sounds.
Technique
- Migas de pastor use bread; migas de harina and gachas use flour or semolina instead.
- A fried egg on top is standard, and in Extremadura it comes with sardines or melon.
- They are breakfast food as often as lunch.
Substitutions
- Any dense stale bread, though a soft sandwich loaf will not do.
- Pancetta or lardons for panceta.
Variations
- Migas extremeñas, with more paprika and pork.
- With fried morcilla added.
- Migas de harina, made with flour instead of bread.
History
Shepherds’ food of fried breadcrumbs, made across Castile, Extremadura and La Mancha to use stale bread while on the move.
Frequently asked questions
What is Migas?
Migas is a main from Spain: shepherd’s fried breadcrumbs with chorizo, peppers, grapes. Shepherds’ food of fried breadcrumbs, made across Castile, Extremadura and La Mancha to use stale bread while on the move.
How long does Migas take to make?
Migas takes 20 min plus overnight resting of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Migas?
Yes, within limits. Any dense stale bread, though a soft sandwich loaf will not do. Pancetta or lardons for panceta.
What is the most important thing to get right in Migas?
Cut the crusts off and dice or crumble the bread into pieces about 1 cm, which is fiddly and unavoidable. Cut them evenly. Sprinkle, do not pour. The bread should be barely damp all through, never wet, and this is the step that decides everything.
