An old man’s bar deep in the heart of Barrio de la Latina in Madrid, this one was nothing fancy yet it was glorious. A wooden bar with a centuries-old patina, a few barrels with high stools to sit upon but not for too long because traditional Spanish bars are not built for idle lingering. Faded posters promising long-passed spring ferias in Jerez, Tarifa and Córdoba. Barrels of sherry precariously balanced upon a high shelf alongside the ubiquitous jamon, strings of dried peppers and garlic contrasting harmoniously with the chippy tiles of blue and white. This is a modest place, the kind of place where the owner recognises you on your second visit and places a tiny glass of fino with a small plate of garlicky olives at your table, the one you will occupy every morning and every evening for the duration of your stay. I asked for breakfast, something different from the churros and chocolate so beloved by Spaniards. Out came the cook, a serious round woman who, it was obvious, had experienced a life both beautiful and tragic. “Huevos?” she asked, to which I smiled a hard yes as she described what her abuela used to make for her on special days when she was a child growing up in Seville. And this is it, huevos a la flamenca. Afterwards, when I went into the kitchen to thank her, she slipped me the recipe written on the back of a label from a tin of tomatoes. Just so you know, the chorizo I used when I recreated her dish at home is vegan. She would be annoyed with me for that and I completely understand why.

Serves four

Ingredients

3 tbsp Nunez de Prado extra-virgin olive oil
6 new potatoes, skin on, cut into quarters
1 small Spanish onion, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp hot pimentón de la vera
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp 10-year old gran reserva sherry vinegar
400g tin chopped tomatoes (I use Mutti polpa)
3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
A pinch of unrefined golden caster sugar
One jarred roasted red pepper, cut into strips
100g Spanish chorizo (I use a vegan version)
A couple of handfuls fresh or frozen garden peas
4 large free-range eggs
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground mixed peppercorns
Chopped flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, to serve
Lemon zest, to serve
Aleppo pepper, to serve
Griddled sourdough bread rubbed with garlic, to serve

How I make it

Heat an oven to 200C.

Place the prepared potato on a baking tray, drizzle over 1tbsp olive oil and season generously. Place in the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat and add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the chopped onions and garlic and sauté for around 10 minutes until softened.

Add the paprika, the tomato purée and sherry vinegar. Stir around for a couple of minutes before adding the tinned, fresh tomatoes and the red pepper strips. Taste and add a little sugar if needed.

Turn down the heat and gently simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Turn off the heat, add half of the chorizo, cover with a lid and and leave to cook in the residual heat.

When you’re ready to eat, heat an oven to 180C.

Add the cooked potatoes and peas to the tomato sauce. Check the seasoning.

Make four wells in the tomato mixture and break an egg into each one. Scatter the remaining chorizo over the top, drizzle with olive oil and place into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until the egg whites are set and the yolks still soft, check after eight minutes.

To serve, sprinkle with the chopped parsley, lemon zest and a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper. Place the pan onto a mat on the centre of the table and serve with garlicky griddled bread and, if you fancy it, a jug of icy cold cava and fresh orange juice.