Cooking Cheap

Sometimes good things happen or I get lucky or maybe I learned something.

I had a some leftover refritos in the fridge, some crap brand bargain bacon and a hankering for eggs. That’s enough for a meal but could I use that green pepper and that big ass green onion that will go bad soon and the commercial beef stock in the fridge. The result turned out surprisingly good. Better than good.

Cook the bacon in a medium (or med-low) skillet until done, Remove bacon and drain off most of the fat but leave a tablespoon or so. Reduce heat to medium low. Add 1/4 diced bell pepper, and one to three chopped green onions (mine was huge). When the veg softens, add the re-fried beans. Mash the beans more, adding beef stock as needed to keep it the consistency that you can eat with a fork. I might have hit it with a shot or two of chipotle hot sauce in the cooking.

Fry an egg or two or three, spread the bean puree on the a plate, then the bacon strips on top of that, and the eggs on top of that. Add some chopped green onion tops and be amazed. It was better than acceptable, it was really good. If I’d known it was going to be that good, I’d have made tortillas.

Serves one. Without left overs and minimal amounts of cookware.

I didn’t invent this dish because it closely resembles something I saw on Rick Bayless’s TV show on my PBS station a few weeks ago and is in many of the cookbooks I own. That technique is to thin the bean paste even more, to a sauce. Soften your tortillas by your preferred method, dip them into the bean sauce to coat, fold twice (into quarters) place 2 to 4 of them on the plate. Add some more bean sauce to the top, some fried chorizo (or bacon or eggs) some veg for color and crunch, salsa if you want.

I guess I have to give it a name or I’ll never find it here. The title is lame.