Recipe courtesy of Franco Noriega
Huevos Rancheros
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 1 hr 40 min
- Active: 1 hr 10 min
Ingredients
Ranchero Sauce:
1 dried ancho chile pepper
1 dried guajillo chile pepper
One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 cup fresh cilantro
4 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño, seeds and stem removed
Juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt
Refried Black Beans:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons sour cream
Avocado Crema:
1 ripe avocado
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Juice of 2 limes
Kosher salt
Jalapeño Salsa:
2 Roma tomatoes (about 8 ounces), finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 jalapeño, seeds and stem removed, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt
Tortilla Strips:
Vegetable oil, for frying
6 yellow street-style yellow corn tortillas
4 blue corn tortillas
Kosher salt
For Serving:
8 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces Cotija, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Directions
- For the ranchero sauce: Cover the ancho and guajillo chiles with boiling water in a heat-safe medium bowl. Let them soak until just softened and the water turns a light brown color, about 10 minutes. Gently tear the chiles into large chunks, keeping the seeds and stems intact if possible, and put them in a blender. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice and 1 teaspoon salt to the blender. Fill the can from the tomatoes halfway with water and swirl it gently to wash all the tomato off the sides. Add the tomato water to the blender and blend the mixture until very smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the temperature to low and simmer, stirring often so as to not let burn, until the sauce has reduced by a quarter and slightly thickened, about 45 minutes (you should have about 3 cups of sauce).
- For the refried black beans: Heat the oil in a separate medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are softened and translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ancho chile powder, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the black beans and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beans are heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Continue to heat while gently mashing the beans with a wooden spoon, potato masher or fork until the mixture is thickened and only a few chunks of whole beans can be seen, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sour cream.
- For the avocado crema: Add the avocado, sour cream, cumin, lime juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/3 cup water to a blender. Blend until very smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- For the jalapeño salsa: Combine the tomatoes, lime juice, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- For the tortilla strips: Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Add enough vegetable oil to a large skillet so that it comes 1/2-inch up the sides and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering (a good way to test if the oil is ready is to drop a small piece of tortilla in the oil, and if it sizzles, it's ready). Cut the yellow and blue corn tortillas in half. Cut each of the halves into 1/2-inch strips.
- Add half of the strips to the hot oil and fry until they are crispy and starting to turn golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the strips to the baking sheet and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining strips, being sure to heat the oil again before adding. Return the skillet to the stovetop.
- For serving: Heat the oil remaining in the same skillet from frying the tortillas and 2 cups ranchero sauce over medium-high heat (save the remaining ranchero sauce for another use). Carefully crack and add the eggs to the skillet and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cover and cook the eggs, untouched, until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- To assemble the bowls, divide the black beans among 4 plates or shallow bowls. Top each with some of the tortilla strips, then drizzle 1/2 cup ranchero sauce over the top. Place 2 eggs on top of the sauce for each portion and drizzle with some avocado crema. Garnish with the jalapeño salsa, crumbled Cotija and some cilantro.