Hilah Johnson - The Breakfast Taco Book

The Breakfast Taco Book

By Hilah Johnson

Photos by Christopher Sharpe.

Published by Hilah Cooking.

Production by: ebookmechanic.

2011 Hilah Cooking. All rights reserved.

NOTE

Some of the recipes in this book have corresponding how-to videos at our website . If youre reading this book on a device that can play video, just click on the link and youre all set.

At the time of publication, the Kindle device itself doesnt support video, but who knows what the future holds.

Also, if you enjoy this book, be sure to check out Hilah Cooking . Its a weekly internet cooking show focused on teaching viewers how to cook (and how to have fun doing it).

Thanks for reading The Breakfast Taco Book!

PART 1:

ALL HAIL BREAKFAST TACOS

Introduction

Growing up in Austin, Texas, I have eaten more than my fair share of breakfast tacos over the course of my life. (Sorry, people from Lometa; I ate your share, too.) If youre from here, you know what I mean. If youre not, then what I mean is that I cut my teeth on breakfast tacos, and when Im old and gray Ill probably be cutting my gums on them, too. This is why Ive decided to write a compendium of breakfast taco history, lore, opinions, facts, stuff I made up, and recipes.

If youre unclear on the definition of breakfast taco, I can break it down for you with these three words:

Bacon Egg and Cheese Breakfast Taco

Notice the first two requirements force breakfast burritos into their own (lesser) category. I could go on about and on about why breakfast tacos are superior to breakfast burritos, and I would surely meet resistance from many people (not from Austin or San Antonio) who love their breakfast burritos, or worse, those who use the words and meanings interchangeably.

But heres what I think, in a nut shell (Or should I say taco shell? No, I shouldnt. Sorry.):

Of course, if you grew up eating breakfast burritos and love them, who am I to tell you that your love is wrong? Well, Im Hilah and thats what Im telling you.

But, its a free country and if you want to marry Breakfast Burrito, by all means, go ahead. But, dont expect to see me at the wedding.

Ill be busy in the catering truck, stealing your booze and making out with Breakfast Taco.

- Hilah

Breakfast Taco History

To tell the story of the breakfast taco, we need to get into some background information on its predecessor:

THE TACO.

Probably everyone knows that tacos came to us from sunny Mexico. And you know that a taco consists of a tortillacorn or flourfolded over some kind of filling: basically a sandwich. Ill talk more about tortillas later, but for now Ill tell you that flour is the only way to go with a breakfast taco. (And you can forget about crispy breakfast tacos, buddy. They dont exist. And if they did, wellew gross is all I have to say.)

Breakfast tacos have been gaining popularity since the 1980s. Its hard to pinpoint the who, what, and when of breakfast taco invention, but considering their relatively limited range of easy availability (Texas), I think its safe to say the where was Texas.

The New York Times (I know, Get a rope, right?) published a great article which provides evidence of breakfast taco peddling as having begun in the late 1970s in Austin. But thats only when they became a commodity. According to my sources (Okay, my dad. Do I smell a Journalist of the Year award coming on???), breakfast tacos were commonly eaten in home kitchens in the 1960s.

But if I had to bet on when the very first caballero threw some fried quail eggs into a tortillamaybe just before being attacked by Comanches!ahem, well, wed be talking about a whole nother century, my taco-loving friends. And I guess that answers the who part of the question, too. As well as it can be answered, anyway.

My Breakfast Taco Tour!

Taco Mex is literally a hole in the wall!

In order to illustrate the wide world of breakfast tacos in which each taco has something unique to offer, I decided to do my own Taco Tour of Austin and chronicle it for you, dear readers.

We began one Saturday morning at TacoMex , a literal hole in the wall on Manor Road next to the RBM food mart. We tried the chorizo and egg and cactus (nopalitos) and egg tacos. Maybe it was just that we were all starving and kind of hung-over but those tacos were really damn good. They were fat little dudes, rolled up in fresh and chewy flour tortillas. The chorizo was nicely spiced and greasy enough to make a statement but not so greasy that I got orange stains on my pants. The nopalitos were great: big pieces, tangy, and not overcooked. I always forget how much I love nopalitos and eggs: a nice, light follow-up to the chorizo and egg. Their green salsa was avocado-based and spicy and I love it. I could eat it with a spoon until the cows come home and take it away from me because its so good even cows like it.

Cactus and Egg Taco

Next was Mi Madres , right down the street. It had been several years since Id been there. (Although the last time did result in a love connection from the front dining room through the glass and into the parking lot, which culminated in a phone conversation in which I deeply offended the singer/songwriter by declining his offer to take a walk in a secluded area on our first date. That date never happened.)

The interior has changed a lot, but the people are still super friendly. We tried the migas taco at the proprietors suggestion and the vegetarian refried bean and cheese taco. The migas won, hands-down. The tomato and onion was just barely cooked, providing a great textural contrast to the scrambled eggs and co-jack cheese. The refried beans were also very good: smooth and creamy like they should be. Did I mention free chips??? Did I mention free awesome chips??? And a nice, fresh-tomatoey, black peppery salsa, too. Thank you for being good to me, Mi Madres.

Chips and Salsa

Somehow, we got around to Chu-Mikals on East Seventh Street. I must admit, this place did not look like the place to go for amazing breakfast tacos. For one thing, there was a big sign out front advertising a hamburger lunch special. For another, once we got inside, everyone was eating toast or pancakes. But we had a job to do. We decided on a chorizo and egg and a sausage and egg taco. It was a little slow getting them but once we did, I was really glad I had picked the chorizo. Even though I was really full by that time, I had no problem getting those crispy, spicy chunks of sausage into my face. I guess thats why it took extra time: crispy sausage bits are not bought, they must be created. The tomato-based salsa was fresh and fruity with a solid after-burn from jalapenos. And if I ever do a Hamburger Tour or a Pancake and Toast Tour, this place will be on that list, too.