MIGAS
“To encounter the culinary art of the stone age, it is only necessary to visit the Spanish mountain shepherds,” noted Count von Keyserling, the traveling philosopher, at the beginning of the 20th century. Simple dishes made from grain, and sometimes enriched with a little fat and meat, have been around for thousands of years, and even the first Iberian inhabitants of Spain are known to have prepared a cooked dish made from stale bread.
Migas in the exact sense of the word are actually only breadcrumbs. Shepherds and muleteers ate “ur”—migas on their travels throughout the land. Old bread was broken into small pieces, fried in sheep drippings or lard, and perhaps a little garlic, ground paprika, or a few herbs added.
On good days, there would also be a piece of spicy sausage, ham, or bacon. At sunrise, the men sat around the fire with a plate of migas, and it was undoubtedly the shepherds who gave the morning star its colloquial name of lucero miguero (breadcrumb star) after their first meal of the day.
A large number of migas variations on this basic shepherd’s meal evolved throughout Spain, and they are still devoured today by hunters in the early morning mist or on rainy fall days. Traditionalists insist that the bread used for migas should be at least four days old and as dry as a bone. Because of the hardness of the crust and the amount of strength required to cut it up into small pieces, this job is usually left to the men.
In Aragon the traditional shepherds’ migas (migas de pastor) are usually served with chorizo and grapes. As well as bacon, the migas extremeñas of southwest Spain are always served with hot red paprika, either as a vegetable or a ground powder. For migas canas the breadcrumbs are first softened in milk and then fried, either with garlic or sugar. Migas de matanza (butcher’s migas) are fried in pork fat, and pork belly and spicy sausage added. A tomato sauce is also a popular accompaniment to these fried breadcrumbs (migas con salsa de tomate), and those with a really a sweet tooth choose migas negras (also known as migas de mulata), which are made with milk, sugar, and melted chocolate.
Traditionally, migas are eaten from a hortera, a deep, coarse wooden plate whose name has also come to mean a narrow-minded, uncultivated person. Nonetheless, this “poor man’s food” is also frequently found on middle-class tables, and in fact migas are often served on special occasions, such as a name-day or on religious fiestas.
MIGAS DE PASTOR – Migas shepherd style
Generous 1 lb/500 g stale Spanish white bread
Salt
6 tablespoons of lard or olive oil
11.2 cups/150 g diced bacon
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
Dice the bread the day before you want to use it. Place it in a bowl and sprinkle over some slightly salted water; do not let it get too wet. Mix well and leave overnight. Heat the lard or oil in a cast-iron skillet and fry the bacon. Add the garlic and fry until golden. Add the soaked bread to the skillet and, turning with a wooden spoon, fry until golden. Shepherd’s migas are often served with white grapes, chorizo or other spicy sausage, and/or fried eggs.
MIGAS A LA EXTREMENA – Migas Extremadura style
Generous 1 lb/500 g stale Spanish white bread ‘
5-10 tbsp milk
6 tbsp lard or olive oil‘
1 1/2 cups/150 g diced bacon
7 oz/200 g chorizo, chistorra or other spicy sausage, cut into thin slices
1 red bell pepper; seeded and cut into slices
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
Salt
1/2 tsp mild paprika
Pinch of spicy paprika
Dice the bread the day before you want to use it. Place in a bowl and sprinkle over the milk. Leave overnight to absorb. Heat the lard or oil in a cast-iron skillet and fry the bacon. Add the sausage and sliced bell pepper and fry Add the garlic and bread, and, stirring frequently, cook until golden. Season with salt and paprika, and serve while still very hot.
MIGAS CANAS – Sweet migas
Generous 1 lb/500 g stale Spanish white bread
3/4 cup warm milk
4 tbsp oil
Sugar and ground cinnamon for dusting
Cut the bread into small dice. Place in a bowl, and sprinkle over the milk. Leave to absorb. Heat the oil in a cast-iron skillet. Fry the bread until golden brown, stirring frequently. Dust with sugar and cinnamon before serving.
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