When I went back to my Arizona hometown for winter break, I had an amazing breakfast at a new local restaurant called Hash Kitchen. This incredible eggs Benedict, called “Cristina’s Tamale Cakes” incorporated corn cakes and pork and was topped with a poached egg and green chili hollandaise sauce. For me the flavors—sweet corn, savory pork, and spicy chili—screamed classic Southwest fare and I knew I had to try and create a dish based around them. I ended up creating this simple Southwest-inspired breakfast stack, which includes cornbread, pulled pork, creamy salsa verde, and a fried egg.
This recipe might seem daunting because of all of the components and ingredients, but don’t worry! Most of the components, like the cornbread, pork, and sauce, can be made in advance, and I’ve added alternative directions/ingredients to cut down on the prep time and make it more dorm-room friendly.
Also, you end up with tons of leftovers that heat up in the microwave in less than five minutes so you can enjoy this meal all week long!
Ingredients
For the cornbread:
-One box JIFFY corn muffin mix
-One egg
-2.6 oz of sour cream (basically, 1/3 of an 8 oz sour cream container)
-One can of corn
OR
-One loaf of premade cornbread (most grocery stores have this with their other baked goods) if you don’t have oven access or don’t want to worry about baking. This cuts down on a lot of the prep time.
OR
If you want to get fancy, make cornbread from scratch! Try this single serve microwave cornbread recipe if you don’t have access to an oven.
For the creamy salsa verde:
-5.3 oz of sour cream (the leftover 2/3 of the 8 oz sour cream container)
-1 jar of salsa verde. I use Trader Joe’s Hatch Green Chili salsa, made in New Mexico, to keep with the Southwest vibe.
For the pork:
-1 container precooked pulled pork. Most grocery stores have this in the processed meat section.
-1/2 can red enchilada sauce
-One 7.5 oz can of Coke
-One can of green chilies
-Cumin and paprika to taste
OR
-A takeout container of carnitas or pork al pastor from your local taco shop. Most taco shops will sell you their taco meat plain. Here’s a list of some of my favorite taco shops in Boston.
For the egg:
-One egg
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Paprika and cilantro for garnish (optional)
Directions
For the cornbread:
1. Mix the sour cream, cornbread mix, and 1/6 cup water. Strain the canned corn, then fold into the mixture. (Note: these are not the directions on the back of the JIFFY cornbread box! I find that subbing the milk for sour cream and water and adding canned corn makes it moister and more flavorful)
2. Bake according to the directions on the JIFFY box, either in a muffin tin or 8 X 8 cake pan.
For the creamy salsa verde:
1. Mix the sour cream and salsa verde using a 1:1 ratio.
For the pork:
1. Mix the pork, enchilada sauce, green chilies, and Coke together in a large pot.
2. Simmer on a very low heat for at least half an hour (I put mine on for an hour), or until the sauce begins to thicken. This step doesn’t require much supervision, so grab some homework, turn on Netflix, etc., and settle in.
3. Add paprika and cumin to taste.
OR
Forget the simmer sauce. If you don’t have access to a stove or a spare hour to simmer your pork, just heat the pork in the microwave and mix in green chilies, cumin and paprika. It won’t be as flavorful, but it’ll still do the trick.
For the egg:
1. Fry an egg sunny side up or over easy and salt and pepper to taste.
OR
No stove? No problem. Poached eggs are easy to make in the microwave. Just follow these simple instructions for a poached egg in under 2 minutes.
Assembly
1. Cut an approximately 2.5 by 2.5 inch square of cornbread (or use one corn muffin) and set it on a plate.
2. Top with a dollop of the creamy salsa verde sauce.
3. Add a couple spoonfuls of pork.
4. Top with the fried egg.
5. Optional: Garnish with paprika and some cilantro.
6. Enjoy!
