...a way of seeing beyond inner and outer.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Migas

Outside Austin is an undulating landscape known as "Hill County" to people in Texas.  The limestone countryside is covered in scrubby live oaks,  and junipers, which most people, including myself mistakenly call cedars, even though I know better.  It's beautiful wild country. Dripping Springs is a small community about twenty miles outside the center of the capital and it calls itself the "Gateway to the Hill Country".  I called it home for several years, the last few years my husband and I lived in Texas before we moved back to California.  How I got to California in the first place is a story for another day, though it's also a story about leaving, or rather, about not staying, and I do think there's a difference.  Leaving when you know you have to leave takes courage. It causes pain and it's still the right thing to do.  Staying when you're trying to make something work that just isn't is passive.  It's ignoring the lesson, whatever it is that's being offered.  It's ignoring who you are.  
It's Sunday morning, and in Texas, all over the Hill Country, there are Sunday driver and Sunday bikers following the up and downs of the two lane highways that snake through the area. As they do, a lot of them, too many of them if you happen to be a Dripping Springs resident, will be stopping at the road side taco places that cater to the weekend escapees from the hustle of the city.  There are scores of these little trailers and "lean to" that may have started the whole "lunch truck" gourmet thing for all I know, and until I do my research, my inner Texan will remain convinced that taco trucks and weekend migas are responsible for the latest LA food craze.
Migas, means crumbs, at least I think it does. I don't speak Spanish.  My sister does. She does a lot of amazing things.  One of them is to tell the truth and to leave, even when it causes pain because it is still the right thing to do.  I love her.       
Migas

They aren't authentic, because I don't used fried tortillas and I don't use chorizo, but it's still an homage to all the people in Texas that I love.  You know who, and what you are, and if you don't, ask me. I'll tell you.


Use the same skillet for all of this and you will move the flavor from one part to the other.  
Lazy woman's Sunday Sofrito 1:
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 medium onion diced
  • 1 clove mashed garlic ( don't dice it.  you're going to take it out after the onions/peppers are cooked)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
Saute the peppers, onions,  and garlic until they begin to brown.  Set aside

Lazy woman's Sunday Sofrito 2:
  • 1 chopped tomato
  • 4 ounce can diced green chilies
Cook in a non-stick skillet until the liquid evaporates and the chilies begin to want to stick to the pan.  Set Aside.
  • 5 eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon prepared chili powder
  • 1 veggie burger room temperature/crumbled ( I use Morning Star
  • 3 ounces cheese shredded
  • 6 corn tortillas cut into 1 inch squares placed in a ziploc bag
  • 1 avocado
  • salsa/hot sauce of your choosing, we use Herdez because we can't get  Albert's. If you're from Texas, feel sorry for me, if you're not, then I won't even tell you because you'll just be sad and it turns out Alberts is trying to help you out because I couldn't even find a picture of it on the web.  They don't want you sad.
  • cilantro
  • pickled jalapenos
Mix eggs, set aside.  Heat veggie patty in skillet with chili powder until the crumbles start to absorb the chili powder, about five minutes on med high heat.  Set aside, but leave the skillet "dirty" for the eggs. Microwave tortilla squares for 30 seconds, turn the bag over and repeat.  Set aside.  Pour eggs into hot skillet and immediately place tortilla squares in with the eggs.  Cook until the eggs are cooked to your desired degree of "done", toss in the veggie patty crumbles and top with chopped avocado, cilantro, the two sofritos and the jalapenos to taste.  Enjoy.  This will serve one 6'10" hobbit, for both first and second breakfast and one 130lb woman ( because that's all of me I'm feeding these days until the rest of me gets the hint and stops staying...)

A mess, but a tasty mess.


2 comments:

  1. Thank you for your comment! I made me smile!

    Best,
    Christina
    greige

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete

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