Huevos a la Flamenca

Name: Huevos a la Flamenca
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: Olive oil; Lean cooked ham; Onion; Red pepper; Tinned plum tomatoes; Frozen peas; Garlic; Smoked paprika; Salt; 4 medium eggs

Huevos a la Flamenca, plated as one serving.

233 kcal a serving, against 312 for the traditional version. That is 79 kcal off, or 25%, with 18.4g of protein. Serves 4. 50 minutes.

What the traditional version is

Eggs baked in a tomato and red pepper sauce, loaded with slices of Spanish chorizo and torn Serrano ham. The vegetables are softened in the fat from the chorizo, which then mingles with the tomato to make everything smoky and rich. You finish by cracking eggs right into the dish, covering with more ham, and baking until the whites are just set and the yolks are still golden and runny. The bright scarlet oil from the chorizo makes the whole thing look like Spain on a plate.

What changed, and what each change costs

Lose the chorizo, double up on smoked paprika

Chorizo is essentially smoky fat with a bit of protein. There's no way around it - its oil is what colours and perfumes the sauce. Extra smoked paprika gives you some of the depth, but you can't get the red puddles of oil without, well, oil.

What it costs you. You lose the bright spicy oil on top and some of that deep, porky richness. The eggs and sauce keep their place, but the mouthfeel's lighter, and you'll need a bit more bread if you're chasing a greasy hangover cure.

Full-fat ham swapped for lean ham

Good jamón is streaked with fat, which melts into everything. Lean cooked ham keeps the Spanish spirit but lowers the fat and bumps up the protein.

What it costs you. You miss the melting, crisped edges and that salty, meaty chew. It's still ham, but more sandwich filler than luxury topping.

Olive oil to 8g, just enough to stop the veg sticking

Softening your veg in chorizo fat is glorious, but not the brief today. A tiny bit of olive oil does the job and lets the veg take the lead.

What it costs you. You won't get bronzed onions or glazed peppers, but the sauce still sings. Add a splash of water if things look dry.

Extra veg for bulk and texture

Without the chorizo's heft, you want the veg to feel like the main event. I up the peas and peppers and keep the sauce thick.

What it costs you. It's not a meat feast, but it's colourful, filling, and your 5-a-day tally will look smug.

What goes in it

The ingredients, without the quantities. The weights are what the figures below are computed from, and they are in the book.

Olive oil
Lean cooked ham
Onion
Red pepper
Tinned plum tomatoes
Frozen peas
Garlic
Smoked paprika
Salt
4 medium eggs

How it starts

Set the oven to 200C.
Put the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Add the garlic and smoked paprika, then cook for a minute until things smell fantastic.

The rest of the method, and every weight, is in Authentic-ish Spanish.

The numbers

Per serving	Traditional	Lightened
Calories	312	233
Protein	17.9g	18.4g
Fat	20.6g	10.2g
Saturated fat	5.6g	2.8g
Carbohydrate	14.6g	18.1g
Protein per 100 kcal	5.7g	7.9g

Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Spanish prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked. How every number is computed sets out the method.

Allergens. eggs.

The method is in the book

There's no need to pretend: the absence of chorizo's spicy fat is obvious, and the pale top won't fool anyone. It isn't a lost dish, though. The extra veg, double smoked paprika and good ham give you a punch of Spain with much less aftermath. The eggs on tomato still feel like brunch is worth having. You'll likely want a bit of extra olive oil on the table for dipping - I can live with that.

The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Spanish, along with 57 more. Buy the paperback