Earlier this month, I spent a week in Austin for South By Southwest. It was my second time attending, and the conference is always amazing (for reasons that I won’t go into here, because they have very little to do with food). But I also love Austin itself. It’s quirky and fun, there’s lots of live music, and the food is unbelievable. I don’t think there’s anywhere else in Texas, and few other cities in the US, where a vegetarian can eat as well. I had great home cooking (think garlic cheese grits), quesadillas, local beer, margaritas, pizza, more enchiladas than I could imagine… and breakfast tacos, almost every day.
When I got home, the first nostalgia-inspired dish I made was breakfast tacos. They probably almost certainly weren’t the real thing. I don’t know the history behind breakfast tacos, but they’re an Austin specialty, and the locals love them so fiercely that I’m sure they’re steeped in tradition. (Austin readers: is this true?)
Most of the ones I had in Austin were similar, and very simple: potatoes, scrambled eggs, and cheese on a small flour tortilla. Maybe some chicken or beef for you carnivores. Wrapped in foil, with salsa on the side. You can see why they’re supposed to be a great hangover cure. (Not that anyone at SXSW has tested that theory…)
Mine were sort of like that, but different enough that it was probably sacrilege. I don’t care. They were tasty, and that’s the point. I used scrambled eggs, but sweet potatoes in place of regular ones, and a nice strong smoked cheddar that we happened to have. I also used corn tortillas instead of flour ones, and they added a nice heartiness.
If you’re not religious about your breakfast tacos, then they’re as flexible as you want them to be. There’s no recipe: just pick your fillings and load them onto a warm tortilla. Scramble some eggs. Pan-fry some potatoes. Add beans. Or sausage, or even tofu. Use cheddar cheese, or jack, or queso fresco. Pile them high with veggies. Dip them in salsa.
Just don’t work too hard at it – it is breakfast, after all.
One Comment
When I visited Santa Fe for the first time back around 1990 I got totally hooked on breakfast burritos. The main difference between those and the tacos is that they serve the burritos topped with green chili, which is definitely not for me. But I took my addiction home with me and for many weeks afterward they were my breakfast of choice.