One of the first cooking experiences a lot of people have is with eggs. Maybe it was bacon and fried eggs. Or an egg salad sandwich. Or perhaps deviled eggs or potato salad.
It was probably scrambled eggs for me. And they more than likely were the result of first trying for a fried egg (over easy) but a broken yoke made that impossible
For any beginners (or veteran cooks for that matter), here’s a scrambled egg recipe — from cookbook author Michael Natkin — with a Mexican twist.
There are many variations of chilaquiles, but the basic idea is to pan-fry some corn tortillas until they are crispy then scramble some eggs in with them and serve the whole thing in a mess of hot salsa verde.
And for those who are celiacs or have a similar diagnosis, the scrambled eggs are gluten-free.
Chilaquiles Verdes
1 cup salsa verde or green enchilada sauce
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 corn tortillas
4 large eggs (preferably organic)
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt
Black pepper
Garnishes (hot sauce, minced cilantro and white onion, charred scallion, avocado, sour cream, cotija cheese, lime wedges) optional.
Preheat two serving bowls, and heat the salsa verde in the microwave.
Place a large, well seasoned or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil. When it is shimmering, tear each tortilla into 6 wedges and add them to the pan, along with a pinch of salt. Cook, flipping occasionally, until they are quite well browned. Pull out and reserve 6 of the wedges.
Reduce the heat to low. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, 2 tablespoons of water, cumin, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and several grinds of black pepper.
Pour the eggs over the tortillas that are still in the pan, and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggs are as set as you like them. Remove from the heat.
Put about ¼ cup of the heated salsa in each bowl. Spoon in half of the egg and tortilla mixture. Pour the remaining salsa over the eggs. Sprinkle on a bit more salt. Add the reserved fried tortillas on top, and finish with some or all of the suggested garnishes (or offer them at the table.)
Yield: Serves 2.