Hello, everyone – terribly sorry for the hiatus in posting. I have a ton of working posts now, so I am planning to get at least one on the site each day this week. Stay tuned!
First up? My take on Huevos Rancheros. Probably every cook who enjoys making Mexican food has a recipe for Huevos; some are closer to the traditional than others. The version I most recently had in Mexico was delicious, but not really much to behold – flat, with thin, perfectly seasoned salsa, refried beans, and excellent poached eggs. For me, I can appreciate such food for its simplicity (it is akin to the food on which I was raised), but I prefer to create a more visually arresting plate. Color and texture are important to me when I try to imagine a revamp of a dish I have; I don’t try to improve upon any dish, per se, but I like to remodel it according to my own tastes. It is kind of like thinking about how you would change the decor of your parents’ house – what is there is already comforting and appealling, but some changes might be interesting.
Huevos Rancheros (Verde)
When I first started thinking about how I would make Huevos, I thought first about the components: tortillas, beans, eggs, salsa. The eggs are easy, because I love an excuse to make poached eggs, so no changes needed. Beans? I love refried, but prefer something with a bit more texture, so opted for canned black beans seasoned with a little adobo seasoning (I just use the store-bought Goya). Tortillas? Well, I know that the tortillas we can get here in Chicago are not exactly the traditional, so I veered far with my choice in using whole wheat tortillas, which I warm in the oven using a muffin tin or ramekins to create a little cup for the goodies; you can just throw them into the warm oven when you are ready to poach the eggs. Salsa? I do love traditional red salsa, but the Bun also loves Salsa Verde, which is super easy to make and lends a great tangy heat to the mix. With these ingredients, I make the basic recipe, for which there are unlimited variations. Sometimes, I brown chorizo and use it as the bottom layer, before the beans. If you are feeling indulgent, you can add sour cream, cheese, or guacamole (or all three). For the latest incarnation, I simply diced a perfect avocado (in season now – get some!) and added it between the beans and the eggs, which lent a richness and depth without adding “bad” fat.
Shallots Web 