Manchego Pisto with Poached Eggs

• 2 courgettes
• 2 green peppers
• 1 red pepper
• 4 ripe tomatoes
• 1 aubergine
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• extra virgin olive oil from Castilla-La Mancha
• salt, sweet paprika
• 4 eggs for poaching

👨‍🍳 Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Cut all the vegetables into roughly 1cm dice.

2. 2

   Gently soften the onion and garlic in olive oil over low heat for 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the pepper and soften for another 10 minutes. Add the courgette and aubergine.

4. 4

   Add the peeled and crushed tomatoes. Cook over very low heat for 30 minutes until everything is fully integrated.

5. 5

   For the poached egg: bring water with a splash of vinegar to a gentle simmer, create a swirl, and slide the egg into the centre. Cook for 3 minutes.

💡 Chef's tip

Pisto needs time and very low heat. Rushing it ruins the result. Make it the day before: resting overnight lets the flavours integrate even better.

📝 Our take

Manchegan pisto is the Castilian sofrito taken to the extreme of patience. At least half an hour on a very low heat for the tomato, pepper, and courgette to lose their water and integrate into something greater than the sum of their parts. The poached egg on top—with the yolk intact, ready to break—turns this into a proper meal.

🍷 Wine & food pairing

A fresh Manchegan Airén or light Valdepeñas white. The pisto has tomato acidity and needs a light wine that does not compete.

Suggested wine: Valdepeñas blanco o Airén manchego