12
to
16 tostada chips, broken into bite-size pieces
½ cup (2 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese or Monterey jack
2 teaspoons minced cilantro, optional, for garnish
Serves 2
In a small bowl, beat the eggs lightly with the water and the salsa. Set the bowl aside.
In a heavy skillet, warm the bacon drippings over medium heat. Add the bell pepper and onion, sauteing them until they are limp. Pour in the eggs and stir them up from the bottom of the skillet as they cook. About a minute before the eggs are done, add the chips, stirring them in well. Remove the eggs from the heat, and stir in the cheese, reserving a little to scatter over the top. Sprinkle the cilantro over the eggs, too, if you like.
Serve the migas immediately with warm flour tortillas and more salsa or picante sauce.
Variation: You can substitute fresh corn tortillas for the tostada chips. Cut the tortillas into thin strips, and sauté them in the bacon drippings along with the bell pepper and onion. They will become a little chewy and crispy.
* * *
Technique Tip
Eggbeaters or similar egg substitutes work well in migas, as they do in all our recipes that require beaten eggs. We've kept the amount of cheese moderate, here and elsewhere, but you can reduce saturated fat further by cutting the quantity or replacing a portion of it with low-fat cheese. You can also use vegetable oil in place of the bacon drippings.
* * *
Huevos Rancheros
Texas versions of this popular Mexican breakfast dish are often spicier than those you find elsewhere, including south of the border. These El Paso huevos rancheros get their punch from a combination of jalapeños and New Mexico green chiles.
RANCHERO SAUCE
1 tablespoon oil, preferably canola or corn
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
½ cup chopped roasted green chiles, preferably New Mexican, fresh or frozen
1
to
2 fresh jalapeños, minced
4
to
6 small ripe tomatoes, preferably Roma or another Italian plum variety, chopped
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
½ teaspoon salt, or more, to taste
⅓ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Oil for pan frying, preferably canola or corn
8 corn tortillas
8 eggs
½ cup (2 ounces) grated Monterey jack or mild cheddar cheese
Crema ([>]) or sour cream, cilantro sprigs, and avocado slices, optional, for garnish
Serves 4
Warm the 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion has softened. Mix in the bell pepper, chile, jalapeños, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, cumin, and salt, and simmer over low heat, covered, for about 15 minutes. If the mixture gets dry, add a little water. (The sauce can be made a day ahead to this point, and rewarmed.) Add the cilantro and lime juice during the last minute or two of cooking.
Just before serving time, get out four plates.
Heat about ½ inch oil in a skillet. Dip the tortillas into the oil, one or two at a time, and cook them for a few seconds until they are soft and pliable. Drain the tortillas on paper towels. Arrange two tortillas overlapping on each plate.
Pour most of the oil from the skillet into a small bowl, leaving only enough to coat the skillet's surface generously.
Place the skillet back on the stove, and heat the oil over low heat. Fry the eggs in batches. Add a little of the reserved oil when the pan becomes diy. Top each tortilla with a fried egg. Alternatively, the eggs can be poached in the simmering sauce.
Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of the cheese over each serving of eggs, and top with equal portions of the sauce. Serve the eggs immediately with crema or sour cream, cilantro, and avocado on the side, if you like. Huevos rancheros are almost always accompanied by refried beans ([>]).
Variation: Start the sauce by frying ¾ pounds of Chipotle Chorizo ([>]) or a good store-bought variety. Omit the oil in the sauce, using the chorizo's rendered drippings instead. Complete the dish according to the recipe.
Huevos con Queso
Whoever Benedict of egg fame was, he or she wasn't from the Lone Star State. Texans would never choose a wimpy hollandaise topping for eggs when they could have a hard-hitting chile-cheese sauce.
Unsalted butter
8 thin slices Canadian bacon
8 eggs
4 Mexican bolillos (small yeast rolls available at Mexican bakeries or some Latino or Hispanic markets) or English muffins
1
to
1½ cups warm Chile con Queso ([>])
Chopped tomato and sliced green onion tops, optional, for garnish
Serves 4
Warm enough butter in a skillet to form a thin film when melted. Fry the bacon until it is lightly crisped, and drain it. The eggs can be fried in the meat drippings and butter or poached.
Split and toast the bread, and butter the halves. Transfer two halves to each person's plate. Place a bacon slice on each piece of bread, and top with the eggs and equal portions of Chile con Queso. Serve the dish hot, garnished with the tomato and onion, if you wish.
* * *
Canadian bacon doesn't have much to do with Canada or bacon. It's actually smoked eye of pork loin, and some of the best is made in Texas. Try the version from Ranch House Mesquite-Smoked Meats in the Hill Country burg of Menard. See "Mail-Order Sources" ([>]) for ordering information.
* * *
Nest Eggs
Jayne Bridges of Center, Texas, developed this dish, which won her a prize at the 1986 East Texas Poultry Festival.
6 shredded wheat cereal biscuits, crushed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (4 ounces) grated mild cheddar cheese
6 eggs
6 tablespoons milk
Salt, fresh-ground black pepper, and paprika to taste
Serves 6
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease six custard cups.
In a small bowl, toss the cereal and butter until they are well combined. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the cereal, and divide the rest evenly among the custard cups. Press the mixture evenly against the bottoms and sides of the cups. Divide one-half of the cheese equally among the custard cups, and break an egg into each cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon of milk over each egg, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Cover with the remaining cheese, and spread about ½ tablespoon of the reserved cereal around the edge of each cup. Sprinkle the top of each cup with paprika.
Place the custard cups on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the eggs are firm. Serve the eggs hot.
* * *
The 1924 Presbyterian Philathea Cookbook from Gonzales, Texas, is full of recipes using shells or nests of shredded wheat cereal for everything from strawberries to oysters. It's also the earliest Texas cookbook we've found that lists each recipe's ingredients separately from the cooking instructions, a big improvement in readability.
* * *
* * *
George Lang, the food guru, once said that "a well-developed breakfast fantasy can be more interesting than many people's sexual fantasies." His own scenario involved a date with Sophia Loren, some chamber music, and Peter Ustinov serving warm brioche while commenting on the news of the day.
* * *
Breakfast Tacos
Simple in concept and execution, however tasty, a breakfast taco is a flour tortilla folded or wrapped around anything on the stove. Some of the best fillings are leftovers from the night before, particularly Carne Guisada ([>]), Refried Beans ([>]), and Picadillo ([>]). Other good options include scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, chorizo ([>]), and German sausage. For a bountiful buffet
, offer several of the fillings and at least one salsa.
6 cups assorted fillings (those mentioned above or others), warmed
1 dozen 6-inch flour tortillas, warmed
1 cup (4 ounces) grated mild cheddar cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated pepper jack or Monterey jack cheese
One or more salsas ([>])
Melted butter
Chopped cilantro, optional
Serves 4
Preheat the broiler. Grease a baking sheet.
Set out all the fillings, the tortillas, cheeses, and salsa in bowls or baskets. Top the tortillas with spoonfuls of filling, and fold them in half. Brush the tacos lightly with butter, and transfer them to the baking sheet. Pop them under the broiler for a couple of minutes, until they are slightly crisp on top.
Serve the tacos immediately with cheese and salsa, plus cilantro, if you like.
* * *
"Gradually I'm learning to like, respect, and even trust those who don't share my taste for good Bourbon, thick mutton chops, and genuine country ham, but never, repeat never, could I develop a really meaningful rapport with anyone who doesn't appreciate a wholesome and relaxing breakfast—and I mean the type of breakfast all Americans used to enjoy and not this silly thing called brunch."—James Villas, American Taste
* * *
High Plains Hash
This is a sure-fire way to get someone's attention in the morning, particularly if you use smoked meat and two jalapeños.
2 tablespoons oil, preferably corn or canola
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2½ cups diced peeled or unpeeled potatoes
1½ cups diced onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1
to
2 fresh jalapeños, minced
4 cups shredded barbecued brisket or roast beef
¾ cup unsalted beef stock
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Serves 4
Warm the oil and butter together in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes, onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño, and sauté for 10 minutes. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring the mixture up from the bottom once after 6 or 7 minutes and patting it back down. Uncover the skillet, and continue cooking another minute or two until the liquid is absorbed and the mixture just begins to get crusty on the bottom. Serve the hash hot.
* * *
The inventor of Post Toasties and other cereals, C. W. Post moved to Texas at the turn of the century to create a model city. Still called Post today, the original community experimented with health care, strange crops, and the use of dynamite for rainmaking.
* * *
Sausage and Apple Strata
Sometimes called overnight casseroles in Texas, stratas make breakfast a breeze because you do most of the preparation the evening before.
1 pound uncooked smoky sausage, crumbled or sliced thin
2 tart apples, chopped
5 eggs
1½ cups milk
1½ teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 small loaf good-quality white bread
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1½ teaspoons dried
1 cup (4 ounces) grated Monterey jack cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated smoked cheddar or medium cheddar cheese
Serves 6
Grease a 9- to 10-inch baking dish.
In a skillet, fry the sausage. Add the apple, and sauté over low heat until the apple is soft.
Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the milk, dry mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Cut the bread into ½-inch slices. Dip the bread into the milk and egg mixture, and wedge a single layer of the bread into the bottom of the prepared dish. Top it with half of the sausage and apple, the sage, and the cheeses. Pour half of the milk-egg mixture over the assembled ingredients. Repeat the layering with the remaining ingredients, concluding with the milk and eggs. Cover the strata, and refrigerate it overnight.
Remove the strata from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you want to bake it. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Bake the strata 50 to 55 minutes, or until it is puffed, golden, and set in the center. Serve it immediately.
* * *
Other chapters cover some multipurpose dishes often served at breakfast, including Menudo ([>]) and Biscuits ([>] and [>]) with Classic Cream Gravy ([>]).
* * *
Broccoli-Cheese Strata
An easy overnight casserole like the previous recipe, this one is healthful enough for a vegetarian and hearty enough for a halfback.
3 cups chopped broccoli
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ medium red bell pepper or 2 ounces pimientos
½ medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup buttermilk
4 eggs, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 small loaf good-quality white bread
1½ cups cottage cheese
1½ cups (6 ounces) grated sharp cheddar cheese
Serves 6
Blanch the broccoli in a pot of boiling salted water. Drain it, rinse it in cold water, and drain it again. Set it aside.
Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bell pepper or pimientos, onion, and garlic, and cook until the vegetables are softened. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the buttermilk, eggs, salt, and pepper.
Grease a casserole dish approximately 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Cut the bread into ½-inch slices. Dip the bread in the buttermilk mixture, and wedge a single layer of the bread into the bottom of the prepared dish. Top with half the broccoli, cottage cheese, and cheddar cheese. Pour half the remaining buttermilk-egg mixture over the assembled ingredients. Repeat the layering with the remaining ingredients, concluding with the last of the buttermilk and eggs. Cover the strata, and refrigerate it overnight.
Remove the strata from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you want to bake it. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Bake the strata 50 to 55 minutes, or until it is puffed, golden, and lightly set in the center. Serve the strata immediately.
The strata doesn't reheat well, so if you don't think the whole recipe will be eaten, make it in two dishes, cooking the second batch the following day.
* * *
In Mrs. Beeton's nineteenth-century Book of Household Management, the original Heloise said, "The moral and physical welfare of mankind depends largely on its breakfasts."
* * *
Sausage Upside-Down Cornbread
Like a strata, this is a complete one-dish meal. The recipe comes from East Texas. We substitute chorizo for the original German sausage.
1 pound bulk chorizo (Chipotle Chorizo, [>], or store-bought)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup (4 ounces) grated mild or medium cheddar cheese
1 recipe Just Good Plain Cornbread batter ([>])
Serves 6
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
In a cast-iron skillet, fry the chorizo with the onion and bell pepper over medium heat until the chorizo is cooked through and the vegetables are very soft. Pour off and discard any fat from the skillet.
Arrange the sausage in a layer in the skillet, and sprinkle the cheese over it. Spoon the cornbread batter over the cheese. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the cornbread is lightly browned.
Remove the skillet from the oven, and let the dish stand for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cornbread. Invert the skillet onto a plate. Serve the cornbread immediately.
* * *
During the years of the Texas Republic, Pamela Mann served big breakfasts in Houston at her Mansion House Hotel. Not puny herself, s
he took pride in her ability to evict rowdies and vagabonds single-handed. In 1839, a jury convicted Mann of forgery and sentenced her to death, but President Mirabeau B. Lamar pardoned her.
* * *
Chilaquiles Casserole
In Mexico, chilaquiles means, colloquially, "broken-up old sombreros." The resemblance is strictly visual.
TOMATILLO SAUCE
Salsa Verde Picante, with all tomatillos ([>])
½ cup cream
½ cup unsalted chicken stock
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
CASSEROLE
Oil for frying, preferably corn or canola
1 dozen stale corn tortillas (thicker tortillas are best use a couple of extra tortillas if yours are on the slim side)
1½ cups cubed cooked chicken
½ medium onion, sliced in thin rings
2 cups crumbled or grated cheese, preferably queso blanco, asadero, or Monterey jack
Texas Home Cooking Page 41