Huevos Rancheros

Happy 2012! I’ve cooked so much in the past few weeks, I’ve barely had time to take food photos (or update this blog). So I’m typing up an old year-round favorite, instead of fancy holiday fare, just to get back into the swing of things.

Huevos Rancheros has long been one of my favorite brunch dishes. I think I can trace this back to brunches out at Rx Restaurant on 45th & Spruce St. in West Philly. Their huevos rancheros– at least when I was living there 5 years ago– were made with black beans and salsa verde, and never failed to make up for my wait for a table at the tiny but popular brunch spot.

Now that I live in Santa Barbara, a place with many more options for Mexican food, I have to confess that I rarely remember to get myself to a Mexican restaurant earlier than dinner time, although I very often order something Mexican-esque when out to brunch. So don’t go taking this as a well-researched endorsement, but the best huevos rancheros I’ve tried in town are undoubtedly at D’Angelo Bread, where the tortillas are fried up so crispily (and piled so high with toppings) that they leave you no choice but to pick them up, tostada-style, and hope the beans, cheese, eggs, pico de gallo, and sour cream don’t tumble off too quickly.

Homemade huevos rancheros with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa.

If you’re as much of a fan as I am, then making your own huevos rancheros at home is worth it. Easy and fast enough to have become a weekday-morning favorite, yet somehow still fancy and delicious enough to be worthy of the weekends.*

And of course the toppings are customizable, so you can make a Saturday morning version with all the trimmings, or a Monday morning version with just tortillas, eggs, and Tapatío. I promise you, it’s hard to go wrong with these ingredients. They’ve never failed me yet.

* Also delicious at dinner time!

Print this recipe. (PDF)

RECIPE:

Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients:
~ 2 small corn tortillas (per person)
~ 2 eggs (per person)
~ 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil (half for frying the tortillas; half for frying the eggs)
~ salsa and/or hot sauce, to taste
OPTIONAL:
~ 2 slices of cheese, or small handfuls of grated cheese (per person); I like using muenster or pepper jack
~ several spoonfuls of cooked black beans or pinto beans
~ crumbled queso fresco to garnish
~ sour cream to garnish
~ several sprigs of fresh cilantro to garnish
~ sliced fresh avocado, on the side

How to make it:

1. Fry the tortillas: heat some of the olive oil in a frying pan (or use a comal). You can use more oil and deep-fry the tortillas, or use no oil at all and just warm the tortillas on each side. I like to lightly fry them on each side in a bit of oil until slightly crispy.

2. Once the tortillas have been (deep-fried and removed from the oil, or) flipped to start heating their second sides, optionally place a slice of cheese on each tortilla to start it melting. Remove the tortillas to a plate if using one frying pan, or keep them warm on the first while using another for the eggs.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan, then fry two eggs. (I always use my cast iron pan for this step, and I like to fry them over medium and keep the yolks runny.)

4. Once the tortillas are on a plate, optionally spoon some warmed-up cooked beans on top of the melted cheese, then carefully transfer the fried eggs to top each tortilla.

5. Generously pour over salsa, then garnish with extras if desired. I like my homemade huevos rancheros with half of a fresh avocado and a hot cup of coffee on the side.

Print this recipe! (PDF)

Another recipe from a magnet given to me as a birthday gift by a friend.