Poached Egg Huevos Rancheros
It has already been established that poached eggs are fantastic. The addition of a poached egg takes a lot of dishes to the next level. Although the ranchers might disagree, one particular dish that I think needs such refinement is huevos rancheros. Fried eggs are good, but poached eggs are better.
The marriage of eggs with mexican flavors is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. When the runny yolk of a poached egg mixes with the spicy black beans and red chilli sauce it is delicious! The flour or corn tortillas are a nice change of pace from toast. If I am feeling very adventurous and looking to indulge, I will break out my fryer and fry up some corn tortilla until they are crispy. If not, some pan or oven warmed corn or flour tortillas do the trick.
Some like to separate all the huevos rancheros fixins, serving the beans, chilies, and avocado separately. I like to make a large salad of sorts that includes all the ingredients. This makes it simple and there are less serving bowls to clean up.
A simple chili sauce made from canned tomato puree adds an extra layer of flavor, too. I set everything on the table and poach the eggs at the last minute so I can bring them over as hot as possible. The diners can do their own layering.
To add an extra yum factor to poached egg huevos rancheros, sauté some pieces of chorizo sausage and add it to the mix. It is very tasty! A spicy sausage is a very nice addition. It makes the dish a little heartier and makes this breakfast dish a perfect candidate for supper.
Here is my recipe for Poached Egg Huevos Rancheros
- 4 corn or flour tortillas
- 8 fresh eggs
- 1/2 lb of chorizo sausage
- 1 16 oz can of black beans
- 1/2 of a medium sweet onion (about 4 oz) - like Vidalia
- 1/2 lb of tomatoes
- 1 small bunch of fresh cilantro (about 1/4 oz)
- 1 ear of fresh corn (4 oz) (a small can of corn if fresh is not available)
- 1/2 of a red pepper (3-4 oz)
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 1 avocado
- 1 lime
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chilli powder (use ancho chili powder if you want it mild)
- salt an pepper
- 1 cup canned tomato puree or passata
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 small bunch of cilantro
- 1 lime
- 1/tsp chilli powder
- salt and pepper
- Drain and rinse the beans.
- Peel and dice the onion.
- Dice the tomato.
- Chop the cilantro finely.
- Cut the kernels off the corn.
- Dice the red and jalapeño pepper.
- Peel and dice the avocado into large dice.
- In a large bowl mix the beans, onion, tomato, corn, cilantro, avocado and peppers.
- Add the olive oil. Mix well.
- Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice over the bean salad to taste.
- Season with chilli powder, salt and pepper to taste.
- Peel and chop the garlic clove finely.
- Chop the cilantro finely.
- In a small bowl, mix the tomato puree, garlic and cilantro.
- Cut the lime and squeeze in some lime juice to taste.
- Season with salt, pepper and chilli powder.
- Preheat and oven to 200F.
- Lay the tortillas on a baking tray. Heat the tortillas until they are warm.
- Slice or dice the chorizo sausage. Saute the sausage in an saute pan over medium heat until brown and cooked through.
- Fill a large sauté pan with water. Bring the water to a full simmer (between 170 and 190 degrees F). Crack fresh eggs (into ramekins or small measuring cups if concerned) and gently place the eggs into the water around the pan with plenty of space between them. Poach the eggs for 3-4 minutes until the white is set and the yolk it set to your liking. If the eggs are not perfectly fresh, crack them into a fine sieve to remove the loose white then pour the egg gently into the water.
- Place a warm tortilla on a plate.
- Top with bean salad.
- Top the salad with 2 poached eggs.
- Drizzle with chilli sauce.
- Place a few pieces of chorizo on top, too.
- Don't want to poach? Fry the eggs instead.
- To make it even easier, a black bean salad can be purchased at your local deli.
- To make the dish vegetarian, omit the sausage.
Keep Eating! Keep Innovating!
Upon what do you rest your poached egg? Are you a Huevos Rancheros fan? Let us know all about it in the comments or on Facebook.
The Culinary Exchange can also be found on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube.
