Huevos Rancheros

Oh man, I'm stuffed and my mouth is ON FIRE. I just devoured huevos rancheros that Badger and I made for dinner. This recipe came hot off the press from my new CooksIllustrated.com subscription, and it is delicious!! The steps were pretty easy and the salsa is so flavorful. Even though the recipe called for two jalapenos cored and seeded and one whole, I was cocky and used two jalapenos whole in the salsa. Once I tasted it and realized how spicy it was (most of the heat of peppers is concentrated in the seeds), I sheepishly left out the third jalapeno entirely. Badger thought it was perfectly spicy but I had to rush for the sour cream to mix in. Whew. This dish left me sweating profusely. Next time, I'm definitely sticking to the recipe. Please do serve with beans.

Huevos Rancheros
Courtesy of CooksIllustrated.com

3 medium jalapeño chiles , halved, seeds and ribs removed (see note above)
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes (about 8 medium), cored and halved
1/2 medium yellow onion , cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 medium cloves garlic , peeled
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Table salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
Ground black pepper
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 or 2 limes, plus additional lime cut into wedges for serving
4 corn tortillas
4 large eggs

1. FOR THE SALSA: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Mince one jalapeño and set aside. In medium bowl, combine tomatoes, remaining jalapeños, onion, garlic, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, and cayenne; toss to mix thoroughly. Place vegetables cut side down on rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tomatoes are tender and skins begin to shrivel and brown, 35 to 45 minutes; cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Increase oven heat to 450 degrees. Using tongs, transfer roasted onions, garlic, and jalapeños to bowl of food processor. Process until almost completely broken down, about 10 seconds, pausing halfway through to scrape sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add tomatoes and process until salsa is slightly chunky, about 10 seconds more. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, reserved minced jalapeño, salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste.


2. FOR THE TORTILLAS: Brush both sides of each tortilla lightly with remaining tablespoon oil, sprinkle both sides with salt, and place on clean baking sheet. Bake until tops just begin to color, 5 to 7 minutes; flip tortillas and continue to bake until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes more.

3. FOR THE EGGS: Meanwhile, bring salsa to gentle simmer in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Remove from heat and make four shallow wells in salsa with back of large spoon. Break 1 egg into cup, then carefully pour egg into well in salsa; repeat with remaining eggs. Season each egg with salt and pepper to taste, then cover skillet and place over medium-low heat. Cook until desired doneness: 4 to 5 minutes for runny yolks, 6 to 7 minutes for set yolks.



4. TO SERVE: Place tortillas on serving plates; gently scoop one egg onto each tortilla. Spoon salsa around each egg, covering tortillas, but leaving portion of eggs exposed. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and serve with lime wedges.


As you can see, my eggs overflowed because I didn't make my wells big enough. Oh well. Try this recipe asap!