Does it happen to you sometimes, that a name of a dish or a recipe just pops up in your head and just keeps bugging you until you cook it? So it happened to me with Huevos Rancheros, a Mexican breakfast dish I have never tried before.
Strictly speaking, I would not be sure that the result I get is any close to how Huevos Rancheros should be cooked, as during my research I have seen numerous variations of the recipe. Nonetheless, over the last few months, cooking this dish for a slow weekend breakfast has become a ritual. It is especially enjoyable on colder days (or as a hangover cure)
Here is the recipe for 2, inspired by Mexican breakfast recipe from Jamie Oliver:
- olive oil
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced
- 1/2 onion, peeled and finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
- 1/2 red chili, deseeded and finely sliced
- 1/3 teaspoon chili flakes
- 400g (1 can) chopped tomatoes
- 200g (1/2 can) kidney beans
- 2salt freshly ground black pepper
- 4 eggs
- 2 tortillas
- cheddar cheese, to serve
1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan. Add onion, garlic, peppers, fresh and dry chilies and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 15 min stirring frequently, till the vegetables get soft.
2. Pour in canned tomatoes. Note: you might want to try various options to find your favorite – we prefer more chunky chopped tomatoes with thicker tomato paste.
Bring the mix to the boil, then turn down to a medium heat. Cook for another 10-15 min so that the sauce starts to reduce down. Add the beans and cook for another 3-5 min.
3. Once the tomato stew has reached nice thick consistency, give it another try and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Use a spoon to make little wells in the stew and crack in the eggs. Season from a height, put the lid on and let the eggs cook for 3-4 min.
In the meantime warm up the tortillas.
4. Grate some cheddar on the warm tortilla, add 2 eggs with some tomato stew on top, wrap and eat right away.
Enjoy!