Migas with Chili Crisp

Plus: Takeout from Bar Amá & Pine and Crane, Roast Chicken, Quick Negronis, and Our Upcoming Trip to New Orleans.

Hey Thursday friends,

Craig’s in Concord, Massachussets right now, about to start work on a huge project (don’t ask! it’s not public yet), and while the cat’s away, the mice will play with their Momofuku chili crisp. Okay, not sure that’s how the saying goes, but our friend Emily got us some for the holidays and it’s been sitting on my shelf crying out: “Well, are you going to use me or not?”

It just so happened that I had leftover tortilla chips from Bar Amá (more on that in a bit), eggs, some cilantro, and red onion, and I thought: “What if I did migas and spooned chili crisp on top?” Obviously, that would be mashing up two totally different cultures, but in a way that felt respectful and maybe even smart. Turns out: I was on to something. The migas were salty and hefty and rich, and the chili crisp cut through everything with a POW. I was sweating so profusely from the heat, I had to go take a walk afterwards.

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The Recipe: Migas with Chili Crisp

It occurs to me that some of you may not be familiar with migas and/or chili crisp. I first had migas on a trip to Austin in 2009 when Craig’s first feature, True Adolsecents, premiered at the SXSW film festival. They’re basically eggs cooked with tortilla chips and cheese. It’s a great way to use up those extra fried tortillas you have leftover from nachos (an unlikely occurrence, but still) and are sort of the Tex-Mex version of matzo brei (or you could say matzo brei is the Jewish version of migas).

As for chili crisp, it’s a Chinese condiment that’s all the rage right now. It’s essentially fried garlic and chilies preserved in oil and it adds both heat and crunch to your dish.

This lunch (or breakfast, as the case may be, I’m no expert… oh wait, I am), is a cinch to make if you have all of the right ingredients. The only time required is if you decide to make pickled red onions, which I did so casually it almost didn’t feel like time passing. The rest comes together in a matter of minutes.