Chilaquiles, Mexican "matzo" brei
This Chilaquiles, Mexican “matzo†brei was inspired by a phone conversation with Jonathan Gold. It reflects L.A. in that Southern California cooks are used to using all kinds of ingredients and L.A. is an organic city in the real sense. My guess is that as this warm city grows, food spills over from one sense to another, from homes to different neighborhoods. Swap in matzo for corn tortillas and you have matzo brei with Mexican flavors and condiments.
From the story: Joan Nathan talks immigrant food and a recipe for matzo brei chilaquiles from her new cookbook, ‘King Solomon’s Table’
In a large skillet heated over medium-high heat, warm a thin film of oil. Add the tortilla wedges or matzo pieces and fry, turning occasionally with tongs, until just crisp, but not so crisp as a tortilla chip, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Do this in batches if necessary, removing the fried tortillas or matzos to drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. This can be done a few hours in advance.
Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the oil out of the pan (save the drained oil for another use, if you’d like), then, over medium heat, sauté the onion with a pinch of salt until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour in the eggs with another pinch of salt and scramble until almost set, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the fried tortillas or matzos back to the pan, then pour in about ½ to 1 cup of the salsa, carefully stirring a few times until the salsa is hot and the tortillas or matzos just begin to soften.
Serve in the pan or on a platter, sprinkled with the cheese, dollops of cream, slices of avocado and chopped scallions and cilantro.
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