Really, these should be called nu-flamenco “Spanish” scrambled eggs because I certainly never ate these in Spain.  However, that title would be too much of a mouthful, and I’d rather you fill your mouth with these eggs, not with those words:

I first made these eggs because I was seriously missing chorizo in my life.  How could I not, when my last meal (good Puerto Rican girl that I am) would consist of roasted pork with a side of pork chops and pork chorizo on top?

It was a Sunday, and the thought that my mom and sisters could POSSIBLY be having any kind of chorizo in their lives at that very moment made me want to cry, or at least call them and disrupt their brunch–if I wasn’t going to be getting any chorizo, the least I could do was ensure their chorizo-ful breakfast was cold and yucky.

Instead of being vengeful or weepy, though, I remembered the magic ingredient that lives in my kitchen and makes appearances at special occasions–mild Spanish smoked paprika:

Apart from being sold in the coolest container ever, this little box is just nostalgia in a jar for me.  It’s a godsend for when I want to fool myself into tasting chorizo, or when I want something with chorizo to taste right without it so I can cater to the vegetarian husband (or for not having any chorizo in the house).  I’ve had this tin with me since I moved from Britain in 2008 (that’s how much I treasure it) and I ration it out on special occasions only until I restock it at Christmas.  It goes into soups, stews, sauces….

And eggs.

You don’t need to LOVE chorizo or pork to love these eggs–you just need to love awesome, easy food.

So, to make these eggs, you’ll need to get:

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Splash olive oil (A teaspoon? A tablesp0on? Totally up to you)
• 1 tiny onion, finely chopped (my small onion gives me less than 1/4 cup when finely chopped)
• 3-4 Tbsp. finely chopped green pepper
• 1 tomato
• 1/4 tsp. mild smoked paprika
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Then get jiggy with it:

• Heat the oil in a saucepan or small frying pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and pepper, and saute for a couple of minutes.
• Add the tomato, stirring well, and cook until the tomatoes break up a bit (a couple of minutes).
• Add the smoked paprika and stir well for a minute; if it starts to look a bit dry, add a spoonful of water to loosen it up (this will also make your eggs fluffier).
• Add the eggs, season with salt and pepper, and scramble like your mama taught you.
• Serve and send me a thank-you card for giving you brunch (or, better yet, send me a tin of smoked paprika–it’s going to take some willpower to stretch my tin until Christmas!)

PS–they taste great with cinnamon raisin bread spread with guava jam.  I have no idea why, but they do.

PPS–you can get this in well-stocked supermarkets, or you could just go online and pick up the La Chinata brand at Amazon or try Penzey’s (I’ve tasted theirs and it tastes right).