Huevos Rancheros

Ah, breakfast for dinner. It just seems more fun that way, doesn't it? I love some good huevos rancheros, these ones were particularly delicious, I just wish they were more photogenic!

The best part about this dish is the ranchero salsa...I've actually made it a few more times to go with other meals because we like it so much. Its so simple, but I think its the addition of a little cooking time that gives it a little something more than a regular salsa.

Also, this recipe includes the addition of chorizo-infused refried beans as a side dish, which I was excited about being a big chorizo fan. However, I was a little disappointed in these, and really didn't think the chorizo was necessary and didn't add much flavor to the beans like I was hoping for. I just used canned beans so maybe homemade/fresh ones would have been better.

Oh, and make sure to cook your eggs just until the whites are set so you get lots of yummy yolk-y goodness to spread around :)

Huevos Rancheros
recipe adapted from From Away

Ingredients
2 cups refried beans (or one can)
4 oz. fresh Mexican chorizo
8 corn tortillas
2 cups Salsa Ranchera (recipe follows)
Vegetable oil (for frying)
8 eggs
1 cup pepper Jack cheese, grated
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup Mexican crema, or regular sour cream thinned with milk (I used sour cream)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat refried beans, thinned with a little water, until bubbly and hot. In a small frying pan, cook crumbled chorizo until crisp, and drain on paper towels. Add to refried beans, stir to combine, cover, and set aside. In another saucepan, warm salsa.

 2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees, and warm the plates you plan to use for serving in the oven. Cover bottom of a medium frying pan with vegetable oil bring to 340 degrees over medium heat. Working one at a time, quickly fry each tortilla, about two seconds per side. Drain tortillas on paper towels, place two tortillas on each plate, and put back in the oven to keep warm. 

3. Fry two eggs at a time in butter until cooked over-easy, with soft yolks. Keep finished eggs warm in oven as you continue cooking. 4. To assemble: On each plate, place a tablespoon of warm salsa on each tortilla. Top with fried eggs. Top eggs with another spoonful of salsa. Add refried beans to side of plate. Top eggs and beans with a few sprinkles of shredded Jack cheese, then scallions, then cotija (or Parmesan), followed by a sprinkle of cilantro, and a drizzle of the crema. Serve immediately.




Salsa Ranchera 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted chopped tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 serrano chiles, toasted in a dry skillet until charred, stemmed, and chopped
A few shakes of Mexican hot sauce, such as Cholula brand (I didn’t add this because I didn’t think it needed it!)

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine oil and onions. Cook until onions begin to soften, about four minutes. Meanwhile, put tomatoes, garlic, and chiles in bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth but still slightly chunky.
 2. Pour tomato mixture into pot with onions can cook over high heat for five minutes, or until sauce begins to thicken. Adjust spiciness of salsa by adding hot sauce, as needed.