Spanish Migas

Ingredients

• 12 ounces day-old crusty bread, (cut into 1-inch cubes (340g))
• 1/3 cup water ((80ml))
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 (4-ounce) fresh Spanish chorizo sausage link (or Portuguese chouriço, cut in half lengthwise and sliced (113g))
• 1/3 cup diced unsmoked pancetta ((2oz, 57g))
• 4 cloves garlic, (peeled and smashed)
• 1 red bell pepper, (chopped)
• 1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika
• 1 cup seedless grapes, (halved)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Steps

1. 1

   Hydrate the bread. Place the bread cubes into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the water over the bread, a tablespoon at a time, tossing the bread with your hands to distribute the water evenly. Let the bread sit while preparing the other ingredients.

2. 2

   Cook the chorizo, pancetta, and bell pepper. Add the olive oil, chorizo, pancetta, bell pepper, and garlic into a large sauté pan. Set the pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chorizo and pancetta have released their fat and crisped, and the bell pepper begins to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic (it’s done its job to flavor the oil), transfer to a plate, and set aside. Save the caramelized garlic for another use; I like to slather it on toast.

3. 3

   Add the bread. Reduce the heat to medium. If necessary, add more olive oil to the pan until there’s about 1/4 cup of fat. Add the bread and paprika to the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper, keeping in mind that the chorizo and pancetta add a lot of salt.

4. 4

   Stir constantly: Cook, stirring constantly but gently, until the bread is crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, 15 to 20 minutes. The bread will quickly turn golden from chorizo and pancetta fat and the paprika, but the actual toasting process should be slow, or you risk burning the crumbs before the larger pieces of bread have a chance to crisp on the outside. At the beginning, if not using a nonstick pan, the bread may stick to the bottom of the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the pan clean to prevent the crumbs from toasting too quickly.

5. 5

   Finish and serve. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the sliced grapes, and serve hot.