Ford Fry is the chef-owner a bevy of restaurants that are staples of the Atlanta culinary scene (Jct. Kitchen, No. 246, The Optimist and Oyster Bar, El Felix, Superica, just to name a few) but when he's cooking for family and friends, morning meals are all about the Tex-Mex classics he grew up loving in Houston. Tex-Mex is often misunderstood outside the region, but Fry is an ardent champion. He readily dismisses the commonly-held notion that it's "just cheap Mexican food," explaining instead that immigrants to the US adapted their traditional dishes to use readily available ingredients, giving birth to a whole new cuisine. Part of its appeal: innovative use of leftovers. Fry jokes that migas in particular make him look like a kitchen wizard to his family (which he is), because extra tortillas, cheese, chiles, and salsa from a feast the night before transform into a wholly new dish with just a little bit of effort. Simply cut the tortillas into strips, then squares, crisp them in oil, then use the residual heat for an egg-and-cheese scramble with a kiss of chile heat. Finish it off with avocado slices and your favorite salsa (Fry swears by roasting ingredients on the grill) and presto—Tex-Mex success.Migas
