Migas

Background: Migas are often served in breakfast tacos in Austin where I live. I think migas means crumbs, but I don’t speak Spanish much at all, so correct me if I’m wrong. (That’s how you learn, right?) I understand that it’s problematic to talk about a move that’s also a Spanish word. I am not claiming this is my move, that it’s a move that I’m expert in, or that I should be writing about it. But it’s a move I use a fair amount. I am open to a discussion about cultural appropriation. That said, here are some moves that might make an approximation of migas if you put them together in the right order:

1. Make Corn Crisp Strips.
2. Make Pico de Gallo.
3. When you get down to the last bits of these two things, do the following moves.
4. Grate some sharp cheddar cheese.
5. Make Scrambled Eggs with Sour Cream.
6. Just before the eggs have set, add the pico to the eggs, being careful not to pour the residual pico liquid into the eggs.
7. Stir and let any moisture from the pico get to the bottom of the skillet to cook out.
8. Add the corn crisp strips.
9. Add the cheese, cover, and remove from heat to let the cheese start to melt a bit.
10. Warm up a flour tortilla and scoop a wad of migas into it.

Why It Works:

1. The best migas for tacos are made with strips because you want them to remain kind of crunchy in the taco and it’s easier to achieve that texture with strips than shards of triangle, in my experience.
2. The pico is a quick way to have migas at the ready without much chopping.
3. This is why I stock certain things–like corn crisp strips and pico–together regularly and how meal plans come together.
4. My family likes extra sharp New York cheddar cheese for most things, so that’s what I use.
5. Because migas need that little extra step of covering to melt the cheese, the sour cream egg move will insure they don’t overcook.
6. There will be liquid coming out of the pico no matter what, and that’s OK. You want to create a little steam when you cover to melt the cheese, but not so much that you make the chips totally soggy.
7. Nothing should be sticking to the bottom of the pan at this point, but it shouldn’t be soggy when you add the crisps.
8. Fold them in so that you have even coverage and so that some are sticking out of the top and some are on the bottom.
9. The residual heat from the pan and moisture from the pico should create steam that you are trapping with the lid to melt the cheese.
10. Usually I use a cast iron skillet to heat my tortillas to give them a little bit of extra texture, but sometimes I use a microwave.

Mods:

1. Add avocado at the end.
2. Add chorizo to the eggs.
3. Add a schmear of black beans to the torilla.
4. All of the above.