Soooo....a whole bunch of years ago I went to California to visit my aunt and uncle who lived in the mountains outside of San Diego, very close to the Mexican border at Tecate. Since Tecate was much closer and things were far less expensive, they did the bulk of their shopping there versus going into San Diego. We drove across the border one weekend for their weekly shopping foray and stopped in a little place for breakfast. I was a teenager and knew absolutely nothing about Mexican food so my uncle recommended the Machaca, which I ordered. The stuff wan amazing. I couldn't get enough of it and probably consumed 8 plates before deciding I'd had enough. I have had it many times here in the U.S. since then but always came away underwhelmed. Nothing I had eaten since that first time came close to stacking up. Fast forward a whole bunch of years and I got an inspiration to try making it myself so did a bit of reading on how to make it. I was disappointed but undaunted: the traditional meat that was used for this dish simply wasn't available so I decided to try using leftover brisket that was in the freezer from a couple weeks ago. Turned out to be a great choice!! I didn't bother writing anything down. All I wanted was an idea, which I got, and here is what I came up with.
Started with some diced red onion, chopped jalapenos, and a couple tablespoons of fresh minced garlic sauteed in olive oil
Cut up an Heirloom tomato and added that with a good shot of fresh ground black pepper
Shredded the brisket and added that next. Let the tomato cook down just a bit.
Beat three eggs in a bowl with a splash of milk and added that
Eggs starting to cook. Don't know what it's going to taste like but it looks 100% traditional
Money shot. Topped with some smoked cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, served with re fried beans and warm torts on the side
Close up shot
This exceeded every expectation I had. It was better than I remembered it being in Mexico when I ate it for the first time. The stuff was absolutely delicious and it was very easy to make. I truly believe that the smokiness of the brisket and the crunch of the bark made a huge difference. They added flavor and textural components that seem to have been missing all these years. All of the veggies being fresh and only lightly cooked added to it also. They were only cooked till hot but still had just a bit of crunch. It wouldn't have been the same if the veggies had been cooked until soft and mushy. Even the wife went gaga over this one, which always makes me happy. If she is happy, the purse strings loosen to finance my cooking endeavors :-) I cannot make a strong enough recommendation for this one. Quite simply, it was one of the absolute best breakfast meals I've ever had.
One happy camper in Lago,
Robert
Started with some diced red onion, chopped jalapenos, and a couple tablespoons of fresh minced garlic sauteed in olive oil
Cut up an Heirloom tomato and added that with a good shot of fresh ground black pepper
Shredded the brisket and added that next. Let the tomato cook down just a bit.
Beat three eggs in a bowl with a splash of milk and added that
Eggs starting to cook. Don't know what it's going to taste like but it looks 100% traditional
Money shot. Topped with some smoked cheddar cheese, sliced green onions, served with re fried beans and warm torts on the side
Close up shot
This exceeded every expectation I had. It was better than I remembered it being in Mexico when I ate it for the first time. The stuff was absolutely delicious and it was very easy to make. I truly believe that the smokiness of the brisket and the crunch of the bark made a huge difference. They added flavor and textural components that seem to have been missing all these years. All of the veggies being fresh and only lightly cooked added to it also. They were only cooked till hot but still had just a bit of crunch. It wouldn't have been the same if the veggies had been cooked until soft and mushy. Even the wife went gaga over this one, which always makes me happy. If she is happy, the purse strings loosen to finance my cooking endeavors :-) I cannot make a strong enough recommendation for this one. Quite simply, it was one of the absolute best breakfast meals I've ever had.
One happy camper in Lago,
Robert
