I can't stress how important the practice of mise en place is in efficient cooking. A good discussion of it can be found about 1/3 of the way down the page here. In all but the simplest dishes, it makes cooking much easier and more stress-free, especially if things have to go fast at times. What is it? It is the of practice of gathering and preparing all your ingredients, tools and utensils ahead of time.
Anyway, here are the fresh ingredients for the migas I made this morning for breakfast. Large plate, clockwise from top: minced jalapeno, diced tomato, bell pepper, onion and red and yellow bell pepper. Also showm are shredded cheese, 6 eggs, pre-fried bacon and chopped sausage (chorizo works well here too), fried strips of red corn tortillas, and in the center - cilantro.
Start off by sauteeing the various peppers and onions until they just start to soften. It should only take a few minutes and a little bit of oil.
Next, I added in the bacon and sausage. Keep cooking until it is all well-heated. While this is happening, break and scramble the eggs. Save the tomatoes for later.
We're going to move fast now, so it's good to have everything ready to go. Add in the eggs, mixing to incorporate.
Now as the eggs are starting to cook, stir in the tortilla strips and incorporate. Just before the eggs have completely set, stir in the tomatos. Adding them at the end will preserve the color, testure and taste of them as opposed to tossing them in at the beginning. A nice fresh touch.
Keep a close eye on the food; be ready to plate at any time. The one thing you don't want to do is overcook the eggs, as people almost always do. Remember, they will keep cooking a bit after pulling form the pan, so leave them a bit soft.
Plate up the migas, salt and pepper to taste, and add the cheese right away if you are using it. Here I topped the whole thing with torn cilantro leaves and Búfalo hot sauce. Serve immediately. Prepare for appreciative comments.
