Migas - you sublime tortillas

Migas, mis amigas, you make my tummy happy and at ease,

Also called miguitas,

For breakfast, lunch or dinner,

Or a yummy protein-filled snack in-between your meals,

Migas with eggs or milk

Will leave you contented and fulfilled.

How to make them,

That’s the question – and aren’t you lucky I’ve got the reply!

First you need tortillas, corn tortillas,

Never flour or you’ll have a nasty surprise.

(Nothing wrong with flour tortillas in general, my friends,

But, mainly for this, they’re just not right!)

So, when you make migas with eggs, there are two ways to go about them,

My dad’s and my mum’s,

And they’re both just right,

Although I made a third way,

(aren’t I just the perfect daughter, making a variant of both their ways?)

First my dad’s, as in my mind he was the one who taught us all,

But my memory plays games,

so that could very well be altogether another plate,

But his way first anyway, as that’s the miguitas I remember as a child:

Heat up the corn tortillas until they go a little bit hard,

Slightly crunchy as if you’ll make a tostada or a volcán,

Then put them in the frying pan,

Use the oil of your choice (my dad goes with olive, I sunflower prefer)

And once the tortilla bits are crunchy and browned,

Add the eggs and let them cook for a bit,

Then scramble and add salt to taste,

And enjoy it with refried beans, cottage cheese, or both!

Now my mum’s, with or without onion, depending on your wish,

If with onion, chop it and put it in the frying pan

While the tortillas gently heat,

Then when the tortillas are hot yet soft,

Cut them up and give to onion for some company,

Then the eggs, scrambling gently so the whole mixture becomes as one,

Add salt to taste, of course,

And enjoy with un-sweetened yoghurt or refried beans or both.

(If you want them without onion, the do the whole procedure,

Minus the onion.)

(If if you want my dad’s variation but with onion,

Then add fried onion at the start).

(Other sides might include avocado, cheese, or both.)

Now for mine, with fried onion at the start,

Then broken up lightly-salted tortilla chips

(because I’ve been too lazy to find a Mexican food shop in Bristol, you see)

And I let the eggs cook for a bit before I scramble them all up,

And eat with sides of beans, cheese, yoghurt or cottage cheese,

Depending on craving and availability!

And if you’re like my grandma, and myself I might add,

Pouring homemade salsa while the miguitas are still in the pan

Creates a new dish which is just as tasty and goes well with all the sides!

Now for the migas with milk – don’t write me off as crazy, hear me out!

The tortilla bits go in the frying pan just the same,

At whatever level of toastiness you have preferred,

And when they’re brown you pour the milk and stir softly,

Adding salt to taste (but notice not the onions here) while the mixture becomes like a dough…

Wait, what, I hear you say? Well, it’s way tastier than it sounds!

All the sides still apply – my faves being refried beans

And often adding shredded cheese into the mix,

But avocado and cottage cheese have also been known to garnish my plate.

I’ve been known to eat the miguitas with eggs mostly as breakfast,

but sometimes also as a late night snack, after a big event as I come home,

or sometimes even just before, if I know I will be gone for long.

The migas with milk kind of the other way around

– a perfect snack at whatever time of day! –

If you go on and make them yourself,

I’d be keen to hear what you think.

Enjoy!

~*~

Thank you for reading my humorous but loving ode to migas! If you like what you read, feel free to visit my profile to find more pieces you might enjoy! A heart, a comment or your insights would be much appreciated, as would a donation if you feel so inclined – I make my living as a freelance writer, actress and model in the arts and any support is always welcome.

Also, regarding the photo, I have been appalled to realise that I *don't* have any photo of miguitas! Forgive my indiscretion, I shall make amends somehow, somewhere!