14 October 2013

Tortilla Adventure and Huevos Americanos

You have my deepest apologies for the ridiculously long absence. Unfortunately for my goofy cooking adventures, my career seems to be taking off, which means too much work, writing work. That wouldn't be such a problem if Goofy Toddler weren't also taking off, all the time, in every direction at rocket ship speed, and then keeping me awake half the night screaming, "nurse the OTHER boob! nurse the OTHER boob!"  How many times do I need to explain there are only two? You might perceive why my output has suffered.

Anyway, on to my most recent tortilla adventures! I have discovered that I live quite close to a tortilleria y panaderia (a tortilla and bread bakery).  The first time I waltzed in, I made a brief tour of the bakery, shelves overflowing with breads and pastries topped with candy-colored frosting. I didn't see any tortillas, though. I sashayed up to the counter and asked the woman behind it, Donde esta los tortillas? (I used my favorite sixth-grade Spanish sentence, Donde esta el banyo? then hacked in "tortillas," and guessed the article los was plural because of Los Angeles.)  The woman replied to me, in what I assumed was Spanish, one of those pesky phrases not covered in sixth grade. I looked at her blankly and gestured around the store, repeating, "Where are the tortillas?" The woman looked at me, resignation in her weary gaze, then went over to an unmarked cooler next to the tortilla-making-machine and took out some tortillas. She weighed them and told me how much they cost. I said, Muchas gracias, and then she moved on to a literate customer. 

The tortillas were still warm!  Joy coursed through my veins. I gave some to Goofy Toddler, who chewed one up and asked for another. After a week or so, the tortillas had vanished into numerous digestive systems. I returned to the tortilleria, armed with the knowledge of where the tortillas are.

I walked up to the counter and said to a (different) woman behind it, "Tortillas, por favor." With my hand I indicated how large the stack of tortillas should be. I felt quite clever at my language work-around. The woman, bored, replied in English, "Two pounds?"  I flushed. "Yes," I muttered. "Two pounds." I had no idea how high a stack of tortillas two pounds makes. Two pounds of tortillas turn out to be only so high, and they last most of a week at our house. 

I invented this recipe last week using our fresh tortilleria tortillas. George really loves this recipe, but I have to admit it's kind of a trailer park/Tex-Mex mash-up.  Don't serve it to your rich relations, is all I'm saying.

Huevos Americanos

Serves 2 to 4 people

You will need:
 a medium small fry pan with a lid
a slotted spoon
4 eggs
1 15 ounce can Old El Paso enchilada verde sauce, mild or medium
OR enchilada/ salsa of your choice
4 medium-size corn tortillas
4 slices American cheese

  1. Pour can of enchilada sauce into fry pan. Heat gently until bubbling.
  2. Carefully crack 4 eggs into the bubbling sauce, keeping them separate from each other. Cover.
  3. Meanwhile, heat up tortillas in a toaster oven or on a dry fry pan, melting one slice of cheese on each tortilla,
  4. When the egg yolks have filmed over and no longer jiggle, use a slotted spoon to scoop out each egg and place it on a single cheesed-up tortilla. Serve immediately with a friendly jiggle of your own.

 
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