Pisto Manchego

Ingredients

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare all the vegetables first for even cooking: finely dice the onion, cut the red and green peppers into small cubes, dice the zucchini into 1 cm pieces, finely chop the garlic, grate or finely chop the tomatoes, and roughly chop the parsley. Grate the Manchego and set it aside. This dish cooks best when everything is ready to go before the pan goes on high heat.

2. 2

   Heat a wide sauté pan or skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent, not browned. Stir in the red and green peppers with a pinch of the salt and cook for 6-8 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the peppers lose their raw edge and begin to sweeten.

3. 3

   Add the zucchini and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until lightly softened but still holding its shape. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, tomato paste, black pepper, and the remaining salt; cook for 1 minute only, just until fragrant, so the garlic does not burn and the paprika stays sweet rather than bitter.

4. 4

   Add the grated tomatoes and sugar, stir well, and bring to a lively simmer. Cook uncovered over medium to medium-low heat for 15-18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture becomes thick, glossy, and spoonable rather than watery. If the pan looks dry before the tomatoes have reduced, lower the heat; if it looks too wet near the end, raise the heat for the last couple of minutes.

5. 5

   Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Use a spoon to make two shallow wells in the pisto. Crack an egg into each well, cover the pan, and cook over low heat for 4-6 minutes, until the whites are just set and the yolks are still soft, or longer if you prefer firmer yolks.

6. 6

   Scatter the grated Manchego over the vegetables around the eggs, cover for 30-60 seconds to soften the cheese slightly, then take the pan off the heat. Let the pisto rest for 2 minutes so the flavours settle and the eggs finish gently from residual heat.

7. 7

   Finish with parsley and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve straight from the pan or spoon onto warm plates with crusty bread alongside for dipping into the tomato-rich vegetables and runny yolk.

Nutrition per serving

Notes

• •For the best texture, use a wide pan so the vegetables fry and reduce rather than steam.
• •If your tomatoes are very juicy, extend the reduction by a few minutes; pisto should be rich and jammy, not soupy.
• •You can peel the tomatoes after blanching for a smoother finish, but grating them on the large holes of a box grater is faster and works beautifully for home cooking.
• •For a more traditional presentation, serve the pisto in the pan with the eggs on top and the Manchego just lightly melted, not browned.

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