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Friday, June 11, 2010

Hominy & Egg Scram




















I happened across this South American style cooking blog and saw this recipe for Mote Pillo.  I was intrigued, so off I went to a local Latino Market to purchase the required ingredients to make my breakfast.  Apparently Mote Pillo is a typical dish from the highlands or Sierra region in Ecuador.  To Laylita it is comfort food.
 For me it was an entirely new experience.  The texture of the Hominy (treated maize kernels) is somewhat similar to a dense pasta.  The flavor is brand new to me.  I liked the dish but of course felt it needed a kick or something.   I tried a bit of cayenne (nope) some hot sauce (better) and finally some maple syrup (always best!) haha -I never tried ketchup though that might have been nice. I enjoyed the dish and ate my entire meal but like most regional comfort food.  It might take me a while to actually crave it.  :)
Here is the recipe as she wrote it with my substitutions in parenthesis (I made a 1/2 batch) -

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked mote or hominy (canned is fine)
2 tbs butter (or organic red palm oil for color)
4 eggs
1 cup chopped leeks (white part only) or white onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp ground achiote
1/4 cup milk (rice milk)
2 tbs chopped chives
1 tbs finely chopped cilantro
salt to taste

serve with cheese slices and black coffee  (or herbal chai tea if you are like me and don't do dairy or caffeine )

Directions:

1. Heat the butter over med. heat in a large sauté pan, add the leeks, crushed garlic, achiote and salt.  Cook until leeks are soft (about 5 min)
2. Add the hominy, stir in well and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the milk (rice milk) and cook until it is almost absorbed by the hominy.
4. Whisk the eggs and add them to the pan, stir well and cook for 3 minutes or so.
5. Stir in the chives and cilantro, season to taste.

note- the achiote powder is what gives the dish it's color.  You can mix together some oregano, cumin, clove, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, garlic powder, salt and annatto in a mortar and pestle and make your own.  It is the annatto seeds that dye the mixture red.

2 comments:

  1. Okay, make that two things I'll be giving a try over the weekend!

    I love cooking with hominy, but never thought of pairing it with scrambled eggs.

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  2. great! of you eat cheese, pair this with a nice white cheese and black coffee. also, if I made it again, I would throw in some jalapeño peppers.

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