Happy September, and hello from the long lost summer 😎
And an ugly delicious sunshine breakfast recipe for you to make on repeat
Hello my lovely people, and welcome back to the free edition of this newsletter, which is something I’m keen to keep bringing to you all, and something that is made possible only by the ongoing support of my amazing paid community (who, by the way, have a total banger of a Midweek Marvel recipe coming this week to hopefully quell that back to school September feeling!). A Lot On Her Plate is a place for deliciousness, joyful living and good times. It’s a reader supported newsletter, and we have A LOT of fun. If you’d like to join our growing, global ALOHP community, access the full recipe/post archive, my occasional voice notes and giveaways with my favourite brands, all while helping me pay for ingredients, cover childcare costs and carry on writing, then you can do all of that for half the price of a fancy flat white per week. Yearly subscriptions are even BETTER value, working out at less than you’d pay for a nice glass of wine in a pub per month. AND I won’t give you a hangover, unless you’re a Founding Member legend coming to one of my Zoom cookalongs… so go on, treat yourself.
September is upon us, and I really hope that the return to school is going well for those of you to whom that applies, whether it’s the return of your kids, or indeed, yourselves. Summer is back here on our slice of the Kent coast with a total vengeance, and currently every possible meal is being spent in the garden or on the beach. I’m feeling kind of thrilled that my Something For the Weekend Late Summer Celebration recipes last week settled on the picnic/portable theme, and really hope that some of you also experiencing heatwaves, wherever you are, are going to be making them, packing them and lugging them outside to enjoy at some point. They’ve already had some lovely reviews, so thanks for those. Hearing your thoughts and anecdotes about my recipes never, ever gets old and I just love to think of you finding inspiration in these emails, so keep it coming if you can.
As well as picnics, and Chelsea buns made by my friend Kate, who runs a wonderful beach hut cafe here, Hut 55 (which you can read more about in my Deal guide right here), we’ve been eating perfect peaches on the beach, and scrambled eggs and shredded, fried tortillas in the garden, and it’s a quick recipe for the latter which I’m sharing with you today - though I’m deffo dreaming up an autumnal Chelsea bun riff, so watch this space for that…
I haven’t shared much in the way of breakfast recipes with you here, but I do love a proper breakfast, and I was thinking about how for so many of you this week will be a hectic return to routine and school and work, and maybe you need bolstering with a proper breakfast, brunch, or quick lunch you can rustle up in no time. Mexican breakfasts are, in my humble opinion, some of the best of the best, and I had some leftover tortillas languishing in the fridge, which is where I found the inspiration for this belter - which is a comforting confluence of scrambled eggs and crispy fried tortillas, cooked up in a matter of minutes. It’s got softness, butteriness and moisture from the eggs, toasty crunch from the tortillas and delicious fragrance from cumin seeds and coriander, and it’s beautifully adaptable, too. I don’t usually, but this time I added a couple of rashers of cooked bacon, finely sliced and stirred through at the last minute - so feel free to follow suit, and you can also add a bit of cheese to the mix too, if that’s your vibe.
I was introduced to Migitas by our lovely friend Becky, who hails from the Yucatan in Mexico and who is an amazing cook and all round golden person. We went to visit her many moons ago in Playa Del Carmen, and she blew me away with so many of her home cooked dishes (and freezer tequila), but it was this easy, breezy, unbelievably moreish and satisfying concoction which I’ve probably made most often in the years since, and I wanted to share the love here. It’s so simple, uses minimal ingredients and is just so good. I always serve it with perfectly ripe avocado, sliced, salted and given a quick squeeze of lime, and some chopped tomatoes, or some kind of tomato salsa. I made a super quick chipotle-tomato salsa to go with this, using chopped cherry tomatoes stirred with chopped raw onion, a little chipotle paste, salt, minced garlic and coriander. Do give it a go, eat it in the sunshine if you can, and let me know what you think. I hope it might give you a little strengthening boost this week… Hugest thanks to our lovely pal Becky for sharing this recipe with me those years ago.
Becky’s Migitas
Serves 2
3 eggs
pinch of sea salt
pinch of cumin seeds
pinch of dried oregano
1 tsp milk
olive oil, for frying
3 (preferably corn) tortillas, cut into strips
a knob of butter
1 small white or red onion, finely sliced
1/2 red chilli, finely sliced
2 rashers of bacon, fried and finely sliced (optional extra)
A handful of coriander, chopped
A couple of rashers of bacon, cooked and finely chopped (optional)
A handful of grated cheese (optional)
To serve:
Sliced avocado, chipotle-tomato salsa or chopped cherry tomatoes
1. Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl with the salt, cumin, oregano and milk. Set aside.
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan or skillet and fry the shredded tortilla slices until crispy. Transfer to a plate or to some kitchen towel and season with a pinch of salt.
3. Add a knob of butter to the pan, along with a little more oil, and fry the onion and chilli until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Pour in the seasoned beaten eggs, followed by the crispy tortillas, and cook for a couple of minutes, until the eggs are just cooked and still slightly fluffy and moist. Stir in the bacon or cheese, if using at this point, along with the coriander. Divide the migitas between two plates, garnish with fresh coriander and serve with avocado, the salsa or lime wedges.
YUM.
MAJOR yum on the Migitas! Winner soon to be made next breakfast. I keep corn tortillas in the freezer for such an occasion 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼