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Tortilla Scramble

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Makes 2 servings 1x

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks. 

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 4 corn tortillas
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 poblano chiles
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large ripe tomato
  • 1 avocado
  • 2 scallions
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 ounces queso fresco or Cotija cheese (1 cup crumbled)

Instructions

  1. Line a plate with towels. Stack 4 tortillas, cut them in half, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Trim, peel, and slice the onion.
  2. Put 1/3 cup vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.
  3. Core, seed, and slice the chiles.
  4. When the oil is hot (toss in a bit of tortilla; it will sizzle), add the tortilla strips. Cook, stirring constantly until they are golden brown and crisp, 1 or 2 minutes. Transfer the strips to the towels with a slotted spoon and sprinkle with salt.
  5. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the onion and poblanos to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and begin to brown, 5 to 10 minutes.
  6. Core and chop the tomato.
    Halve and pit the avocado, scoop out the flesh, and chop.
    Trim and chop the scallions.
    Crack the eggs into a medium bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and whisk or beat with a fork until smooth.
    Crumble 1 cup queso fresco.
  7. Add the eggs to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently and scraping the sides until they begin to curdle, 3 to 5 minutes.
  8.  Add the tomato and tortilla strips and stir gently. If some parts of the eggs are drying out, remove the skillet from the heat and continue stirring until the cooking slows down a bit. Then return to the heat.
  9.  The eggs are done when they’re creamy, soft, and still a bit runny, just another minute or two. Scatter the avocado, scallions, and crumbled cheese over the top and serve.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast: Completely Revised and Updated