Huevos Rancheros

A dish prepared with two sunnyside up eggs on fried tortillas covered in a spicy tomato salsa with refried beans on the side. This dish is served throughout Mexico, and for good reason. It’s delicious! The name huevos rancherostranslates as “ranchers eggs.” When preparing, keep it simple and traditional. You don’t need to fancy-it-up with toppings like sour cream, chopped tomatoes, green onions or avocado. You can if you want, but I might get a little bent out of shape. Each bite should be a balance of rich salsa, egg and corn tortilla. The other stuff just gets in the way.

INGREDIENTS: 2-3 ppl

4-6 eggs, 4 Roma (plum) tomatoes, 1 or 2 serrano chiles, a bit of white onion, a clove of garlic and some thyme. In Mexico, the salsa is made very hot. This recipe calls for 1 serrano chile which makes a milder salsa. Add 1 or 2 more chiles is you want it hot. You probably already have all the ingredients necessary.

MAKE THE SALSA

roughly chop the vegetables and add them to the blender jar. You don’t need to seed the tomatoes or serrano chile. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and blend until smooth.

Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in a saucepan. Slowly pour the contents of your blender into the pan.

Simmer the salsa for about 10 minutes. When the salsa has developed a deep red color it is ready. If the salsa is too thin, simmer for a few minutes to thicken. If it is too thick, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Add salt to taste.

FRY THE TORTILLAS

While the salsa is simmering, fry the tortillas. You will fry them lightly for about 20 seconds per side in about 1/4 inch of medium hot cooking oil. You want to fry each tortilla until it is just becoming crispy on the edge but the tortilla remains pliable. The process of frying adds flavor to the tortilla and keeps it from getting mushy from absorbing the salsa and runny egg yolk.

Set aside the tortillas and cover them with a napkin to keep them warm while you prepare the eggs.

did you know: Better quality tortillas make for better huevos rancheros. This is a simple dish with very few ingredients. Quality matters. You should be able to taste the rich corn flavor of the tortilla. Avoid the corn tortillas that come in the plastic bags and are stocked on the grocery store shelves. They taste like cardboard and have preservatives in them. If you can’t buy any freshly made tortillas try making your own. Most grocery stores carry corn flour for preparing tortillas. Tortillas are simple to make.

COOKING THE EGGS

By cracking the eggs into a bowl before putting them into the frying pan you are less likely to break the yolk. You use the bowl to gently slide the eggs into the pan.

Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan. Non-stick is best. You will use the same oil to fry the tortillas and the eggs.

Gently Slide the Eggs Into the Hot Oil

Cook the eggs until the whites are just set. The yolk is supposed to remain runny. When you cut into the eggs on the plate, the yolk mixes with the salsa and creates an incredibly rich sauce. Note – If you are worried about eating eggs that aren’t cooked all the way through, you can cook the yolks until they are solid. The dish will still taste great. You lose a little of the visual element but you have peace of mind.

PLATE IT

Place 2 tortillas on your serving plate and with large spoonful of refried beans on the side.