Breakfast in a Tortilla
Dinners borne out of a near-empty fridge and the end-of-the day exhaustion sometimes turn out to be a disaster. I’ve been known to throw all sorts of things into an omelet or a quesadilla or onto a pizza crust, and the results are not always as, well, as edible as I would like. Tuesdays often turn out to be the days that such disasters occur because it’s late when I get home, I’ve been in class all day, and even if I’ve planned a meal for the night, I often just don’t have the energy to go through with it.
This meal is the result of exactly those circumstances; I don’t remember what we were supposed to have, but I wanted something super fast with ingredients I had on hand. The next time you find yourself staring into your refrigerator, wondering what to make in less than 30 minutes, here’s a recipe I highly recommend. If you have: tortillas, eggs, and either a jar of pre-made salsa or a can of tomatoes and a pepper and an onion, you’re in great shape. If you have cheese, and some bacon and grits, even better. Here’s what I had in my kitchen and how it came together for a fast, satisfying dinner:
Super-Fast Breakfast Tortilla Supper
(these proportions are not exact, but that’s the beauty of super-fast cooking–no measuring!)
Tortillas
Eggs for scrambling (I had 4)
Milk (a tablespoon or so?)
Cumin
Chili powder
A yellow onion, diced (you may not need the whole thing)
Cheese of some sort (I used cheddar)
A jalapeno, sliced (seeded if you’re sensitive to spicy food)
Diced tomatoes (I used a 14-ounce can, drained)
Note: I started the grits and bacon in the microwave before cooking the eggs, so that everything would be ready at the same time.
Beat the eggs and milk and season with cumin and chili (I like the flavors, so I used a teaspoonful of both). Salt and pepper too, and set aside. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add half of the onion. (Note: if you have salsa already made, you can skip down to scrambling the eggs). Add the jalapeno, and cook until both are very soft. Add the tomatoes, and season with cumin and chili. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Add the rest of the onion (if you’ve got salsa, you pick up here). Cook until soft, and then add the eggs, scrambling them until they’re cooked as you like. Remove to a plate. Add more oil to the skillet and lay a tortilla flat. Spread the surface with grated cheese. When the cheese begins to melt, spoon eggs down the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa, and fold the sides up and over the eggs. Cook for a minute more, and remove to plate. Repeat until you have enough tortillas for everyone (if you’re cooking for several people, keep the cooked ones warm in the microwave). Top with more salsa, and serve with grits and bacon if you’ve got them. Start to finish: about 20 minutes, and it would have gone faster if I’d had salsa already made!