Active Time

　　1 hour

　　Total Time

　　1 1/2 hours

　　Papas con Fideos

　　This recipe is from Delia Marcus, who was taught how to feed her Gypsy husband properly by her mother-in-law. Marcus founded flamencarte.com, a referral service for flamenco-oriented visits to Seville.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 main-course servings

　　5 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 medium onion, chopped

　　2 green Italian frying peppers, halved, seeded, and diced

　　4 garlic cloves, chopped

　　1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, coarsely chopped

　　1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes (3 medium), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

　　3 cups chicken stock or broth

　　3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

　　1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads (0.2 g)

　　4 long sprigs of fresh parsley, tied together into a knot

　　1 Turkish bay leaf

　　2 teaspoons fine sea salt

　　1/4 teaspoon black pepper

　　1 1/4 cups broken-up fideos (pasta nests) or spaghetti broken into 1- to 2-inch lengths (4 oz)

　　4 large eggs (shells washed)

　　

Step 1

Heat oil in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, frying peppers, and garlic, stirring, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes, stock, cumin, saffron, parsley, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper, then bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer gently over low heat until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Stir in fideos and simmer, covered, over moderate heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Gently lower eggs (in their shells) into stew and simmer 10 minutes to hard-boil them. Transfer eggs with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water to cool, then peel and slice. Discard parsley and bay leaf.

　　

Step 3

Divide eggs among 4 shallow bowls and ladle stew over them.