My favorite Mexican breakfast

Cold winter mornings in the Southwest are a good excuse to eat a hearty breakfast. My favorite winter breakfast (actually any season of the year, if the truth be known) is a dish called huevos rancheros (ranch style eggs).The easiest path to huevos rancheros is to a nearby Mexican food restaurant, where you order coffee (hopefully laced with cinnamon) and sit back and enjoy your meal, the only decision being whether to order flour or corn tortillas on the side.

But you may feel the urge to create your own huevos rancheros at home. The procedure is easy enough if you have the ingredients at hand. I must admit the kitchen gets a little messy making this recipe, but the authentic taste is worth the extra trouble.

The number of recipes for huevos rancheros is probably equal to the number of different cooks who prepare this popular breakfast or brunch dish. But I’ve never had a plate of huevos rancheros I didn’t like. Here are the basic directions. Feel free to put your personal touch on them.




Ingredients:

softened corn tortillas (two per person)

cooked eggs (one to top each tortilla)

sauce or topping to spoon over the cooked eggs

grated cheese




Soften each corn tortilla by dipping gently in hot oil for a few minutes. Place an egg cooked to specifications of diners on the tortilla (I like my eggs over hard, but most people like them a little runny). Cover the tortilla and egg with a sauce or topping. Here is where your creativity can run free!




For my taste, the most authentic huevos rancheros are made with thick red chile sauce.

 However, some restaurant cooks prefer a topping of mostly sauteed green chiles.

 

Other restaurants serve the dish with a topping of vegetables, tomatoes, chiles, onion, and garlic that have been sauteed and seasoned.

Any type of grated cheese works for a topping, but I find that white cheeses, like mozzarella or monterey jack work well because they don't compete with the tastes of other ingredients. Some delightful Mexican white cheeses also work well if you are fortunate enough to find them in your home town.

Huevos rancheros are usually accompanied by side dishes, which can be Spanish rice, refried beans, hash brown potatoes, and perhaps a small dab of lettuce and tomato salad (just in case you are trying to eat healthy!)

My husband Wayne and I make a sport of ordering huevos rancheros in new restaurants in new cities of the Southwest, just to see which rendition will arrive at the table.

Do you have a favorite version of huevos rancheros?  I would love to hear about it. 


















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