Campfire Cast-Iron Chilaquiles Verdes with Peak-Harvest Tomatillos and Farm Eggs

Build a campfire and let it burn down to an even bed of coals, then set a grate about 4 inches above them. At home, a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat works exactly the same way.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 2 jalapenos or 1 serrano, stemmed (seeds removed for less heat)
• 1/2 white onion, cut into thick wedges, plus 1/4 onion sliced thin for serving
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 packed cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more to finish
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil or lard
• 10 oz (280 g) sturdy corn tortilla chips, or 10 corn tortillas cut into wedges and fried
• 4 large farm eggs
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta
• 1/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream, thinned with a splash of water
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Build a campfire and let it burn down to an even bed of coals, then set a grate about 4 inches above them. At home, a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat works exactly the same way.
2. Set a dry cast-iron skillet on the grate and add the tomatillos, chiles, onion wedges and unpeeled garlic. Char them hard, turning occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tomatillos slump and blister and the skins blacken in patches.
3. Slip the garlic out of its skins and drop everything into a blender or a deep bowl with the cilantro and salt. Blend or mash to a loose, slightly chunky salsa verde. Taste and add salt until the tartness snaps.
4. Wipe the skillet, return it to the fire and heat the oil until it shimmers. Pour in the salsa, standing back as it hisses, and simmer for 5 minutes until it darkens slightly and thickens to the consistency of heavy cream.
5. Add the tortilla chips in two batches, folding with a spatula so every piece is coated but the chips still hold their shape. Cook for no more than 2 minutes: chilaquiles should be softened at the edges and crisp at the center.
6. Push the chips to one side, crack the eggs into the bare surface of the pan, cover loosely with foil or a lid, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the whites set and the yolks stay runny.
7. Scatter the queso fresco, sliced onion and extra cilantro over the top, then drizzle with crema straight from the spoon.
8. Serve immediately, right out of the skillet, with lime wedges to squeeze over each portion. Chilaquiles wait for no one.
9. Chilaquiles began as a thrift dish, a way for Mexican cooks to rescue yesterday's tortillas, and the name traces back to the Nahuatl chil-a-quilitl, roughly greens in chili broth. In August, when tomatillos come into farmers markets by the crate and cost almost nothing, the salsa verde version is the one worth chasing. Cooking it over a campfire is not a gimmick either: the smoke that curls up from the coals into the charring tomatillos is the same flavor a comal on a wood fire has given this dish for centuries, and it is the single easiest way to make a camp breakfast taste like it came from a market kitchen in Oaxaca.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 480 kcal
• Protein: 19g
• Fat: 28g
• Carbohydrates: 40g
• Fiber: 6g
• Sugar: 7g
• Sodium: 690mg