A slow-cooked Spanish vegetable stew of zucchini, peppers, onion and tomato, often topped with a fried egg for dinner.
Pisto manchego comes from La Mancha in central Spain, a rustic vegetable stew built from whatever the garden provides — zucchini, peppers, onion and tomato — cooked down slowly in olive oil until soft and deeply savory. Unlike a quick saute, pisto depends on patience: each vegetable is added in stages and cooked until it nearly melts into the mix, resulting in a thick, jammy stew rather than distinct pieces of vegetable in a light sauce. Often served with a fried egg on top and crusty bread on the side, pisto works as a light dinner on its own or as an accompaniment to grilled meat, and it's just as good, if not better, the next day.
Serves 4
Heat olive oil in a wide pan and cook onion and peppers over medium heat until softened, about 12 minutes.
Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in zucchini and cook 10 minutes until it begins to soften.
Stir in tomatoes, salt and sugar, then simmer uncovered 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick and jammy.
Cook it down slowly rather than rushing — the vegetables should soften into a cohesive stew, not stay crisp.
Fry eggs sunny-side up while the pisto finishes cooking.
Serve the pisto hot topped with a fried egg and bread on the side.
Cook each vegetable in stages according to how quickly it softens — peppers and onion first, then zucchini, then tomato.
Let the stew reduce until thick; a watery pisto lacks the concentrated flavor that makes this dish special.
A pinch of sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes, especially if they're not perfectly ripe.
Add diced eggplant along with the zucchini for a version closer to French ratatouille.
Pisto can be canned or jarred and kept as a pantry staple, common in Spanish households.
Serve it as a side to grilled chicken or fish instead of with a fried egg for a lighter meal.
Refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; pisto often tastes better the next day, and it also freezes well for up to 3 months.
Pisto manchego takes its name from La Mancha, the central Spanish region famous for Don Quixote, where the dish developed as a way to use garden vegetables abundant in late summer, cooked slowly in the region's plentiful olive oil.
Yes, it's naturally vegan without the fried egg on top — simply serve it with bread instead.
Good quality canned crushed tomatoes work well, especially outside peak tomato season.
It needs a longer uncovered simmer to reduce; keep cooking until most of the liquid evaporates and the vegetables meld together.
Per serving (300g / 10.6 oz) · 4 servings total
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