Chilaquiles Rojos with Huevos Revueltos

Coaxing nourishment and deliciousness out of what's leftover in the fridge can be either daunting or inspiring depending what the ingredients are and your mood at the time.

Feeling a tad shaky after a party the night before? Cold pizza while standing in front of the fridge just might do the trick. Thinking about an impending trip to a tropical beach in Mexico? Chilaquiles just might assist in feeling closer to your casita by the sea.

This classic Mexican breakfast dish is both nourishing and delicious and uses leftover tortillas to thicken the sauce, like one would use crackers in soup.

It's made with a sauce based either on tomatoes (rojo) or tomatillos (verde), chilies and a bit of onion and garlic. I've gone through my fridge to create my own rojo version with canned tomatoes, roasted jalapenos, leftover cheddar and the addition of scrambled eggs.

Jalapenos were first roasted, peeled and seeds removed. I used three of the chiles - the other two will be used for another purpose - and blended them with a small piece of white onion and close to a full can (796 ml.) of whole tomatoes.

In a deep saucepan, with a tablespoon of heated olive oil, I added the blended sauce, frying and stirring on medium until reduced somewhat. The flavours meld and lose any sharpness, it takes around 10 minutes. The consistency ends up soup-like, not too thick, not too thin. (The tortillas thicken it in the end). I threw in a few leaves of epazote for authenticity.

Meanwhile, I lightly whipped together the four eggs I had left. I first sauteed a tablespoon of minced white onion in olive oil until transparent, added the eggs and lightly moved them around until just set.

While most recipes will ask you to fry the tortillas first and break into pieces, I like to just break them into pieces into a bowl, without those extra calories from frying.

Pour the sauce on top, add eggs, cheese.

With eyes closed, this sturdying dish did the trick.