I love Mexican food. I mean LOVE. And one of my favorite dishes is Huevos Rancheros or “Ranch Eggs”. Typically, this is a Mexican dish that consists of fried eggs over crisp tortillas, and topped with a cooked salsa. I had a version of this at a small restaurant in the Hamptons while on my way home from a vacation in Montauk. It was the perfect brunch to end our vacation.
I love this dish so much that I will eat it anytime, and I recently made it for dinner. My variation of Huevos Rancheros is smoky from the cumin, creamy from the refried beans, spicy from the cayenne and jalapeno, and savory from the egg with the runny yolk, while it still feels fresh from the salsa that is packed with veggies and bright cilantro. This is one of my favorite recipes and I hope you will love it as much as I do!
I make a very large batch of the salsa, and freeze about half of it for another time. So for this recipe, you will have leftover salsa, which I recommend freezing for a later date! I also make the salsa totally before I prepare any of the other ingredients. The other components of this dish cook quickly, and this sauce can sit covered after being prepared and stay hot enough to be served.
Huevos Rancheros
6 servings
Time: About 35 minutes
2 tbsp. canola oil
2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp, chili powder
½ tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper.
2 tbsp. fresh jalapeño, minced
2 tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes, 14 oz.
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
Canola oil
6 corn tortillas, 6″
Eggs:
1.5 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 eggs
Queso Fresco
1 can refried beans, 30 oz. Heated according to directions on package.
Salsa:1.Heat oil in a medium pot or saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and peppers, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Let these cook for about 4-6 minutes. |
2.Add the cumin, chili powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, jalapeno, and garlic. Sauté for around 30 seconds. This will allow the spices to heat up and all the flavors to open and perfume the mixture. Then add the can of diced tomatoes and let cook for 2-3 minutes. |
3.Add the chicken stock, stir, and turn the heat down to medium. Let mixture cook for 10 minutes. |
4.Use A stick blender to partially blend the salsa in the pot, I still like some chunks left for texture, but I like the velvetiness that the stick blender provides. There is no need to blend the salsa at all if you prefer it totally chunky.
|
|
Tortillas:1.Cover the bottom of a large sauté pan in canola oil. You are going to shallow fry the tortillas, so depending on the size of your pan, this will be anywhere from a few tablespoons of oil to about ¼ cup of oil. Heat oil on medium high to high heat. |
|
3.Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and set them aside. |
Eggs:1.Heat ½ tbsp butter in large pan over medium high heat. |
2.
|
Now put all the components together! |
1.Place 2 corn tortillas on a plate, and spread each tortilla with a large spoonful of refried beans (about 3-4 tablespoons). |
2.Place a single egg on each tortilla, and top with the warm salsa. I suggest about ¼- 1/3 cup on each tortilla. |
3.
|
