Migas

I had never come across migas before until Julie and I went to Granada, Spain. Accompanying our glass of Albariño was this small plate of breadcrumbs. Unfortunately it had some pork running through it. Back home I came up with this mushroom variant, with red/yellow peppers, garlic and paprika. 

Ingredients

serves 4

400g baguette, day-old
200g mushrooms, finely chopped
1 red pepper, diced (about 1cm2)
1 yellow pepper, diced (about 1cm2)
1 red onion, small
1 tbsp Spanish sweet paprika
1 bay leaf
3 rosemary sprigs
1 garlic bulb
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp water
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Break up the baguette into chunks then whizz up in a food processor until you have mostly breadcrumbs, with a few small pieces of bread. 

Place the crumbs in a large bowl and sprinkle over about 4 tbsp of water, mixing as you go to dampen the breadcrumbs. Adding moisture helps the breadcrumbs to absorb flavour later. Add some more water if you need but don't make the breadcrumbs soggy. 

Next, in a large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over a medium heat. Seperate the garlic bulb into cloves. Keep the skin on and add to the frying pan. Fry for a few minutes until the garlic cloves begin to brown. 

Next add the finely chopped onion, the bay leaf and a whole rosemary sprig. Continue to gently fry until the onion is soft and translucent. 

Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until the moisture has been cooked out. 

Remove the fried garlic/mushroom/onion mix with a slotted spoon, seperate the bay leaf and  rosemary, then set the mixture aside. 

Keeping the oil in the pan to fry the diced peppers, cook for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the paprika. Quickly stir to mix well. 

Then add the garlic/mushroom/onion. 

Season with a pinch of salt before adding the damp breadcrumbs. 

Toss vigorously with a wooden spoon, until all the moisture has evaporated. Lower the heat and continue frying until the breadcrumbs absorbs all the oil and colours nicely. If the cooking of the breadcrumbs appears uneven or even parts still uncooked, then add a little more olive oil and cook for a further few minutes. The Migas should be served dry. 

Taste and season with salt & pepper.

Serve on a large platter garnished with sprigs of rosemary. 

It could be topped with a fruit such as pomegranate seeds, cubes of melon or sliced grapes. Or even topped with a fried egg!