Pisto

Pisto is tomato, pepper, zucchini and onion stewed slowly in olive oil until they collapse into one sauce. It's Spain's answer to ratatouille — a La Mancha staple long before it had French competition for the comparison, and just as often eaten on its own as it is used as a base for something else.

What it actually is

Onion and bell pepper soften first in a generous pour of olive oil, then diced zucchini and tomato go in and the whole pan is left to simmer, uncovered, until every vegetable has broken down into a single thick, glossy stew rather than a mix of distinct pieces. There's no rush to it; a pisto cooked too fast stays a vegetable mix instead of becoming what it's supposed to be.

A fried egg on top is the most common way it's eaten as a meal rather than a side, the runny yolk mixing into the vegetables at the table.

How it's served

• Warm, in a shallow dish, sometimes with a fried egg cracked over the top.
• With bread, for scooping up the last of the sauce.
• As a side to grilled meat or fish, or as a light vegetarian main on its own.

Writing it on a menu

• Mention that it's naturally vegan without the egg, a strong option to flag next to heavier tapas.
• Say whether it comes with a fried egg as standard or as an add-on, since it changes both the dish and the price.
• Note that it's cooked low and slow; a quickly sautéed version reads as an unfinished dish rather than a proper pisto.
• Distinguish it from ratatouille if both appear on the same menu; the two are close cousins but not the same dish or tradition.