Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros (rancher’s eggs) originated on farms and ranches in Mexico. There are many variations but the key to the dish is salsa fresca (fresh sauce).

Fresh sauce starts with fresh vegetables and we prefer roasting them before making the salsa.

We use red pepper, poblano pepper, and one seranno chile pepper for just a bit of heat. You can use hotter peppers if you prefer. Toss the cut vegetables in oil and place cut side down on a foil lined baking sheet. Roast the vegetables until they begin to soften and brown around the edges.

At this stage turn on the broiler and leave in the oven until they look charred. This only takes a few minutes so watch carefully. Because broilers do not create even heat we rotate the pan after a few minutes.

Place the warm roasted vegetables in a food processor or blender and puree until a sauce begins to form. If using a blender, you may need to add a small amount of tomato sauce to get it started. Puree in batches and keep the sauce chunky.

Once all the vegetables are pureed, add them to a warm sauté pan with oil. Stir in the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer and reduce down. The recipe makes about 6 cups of fresh salsa, and can be made a day ahead. The extra salsa will keep for several days.

We tried cooking the eggs right in the sauce but didn’t care for that method. Despite making a well for the eggs they spread into the sauce, and it was difficult to get them fully cooked. In the end, it was better to cook the eggs, sunny side up, separately. We achieved beautiful eggs and kept our extra salsa egg free.

Be creative when building your rancher’s eggs. Start with your preferred tortillas and crisp them up on a griddle. Spread a generous amount of salsa on the tortillas and top with sliced or diced avocado. Lay the eggs on top of the avocado and sprinkle with cheese. We like both queso fresco (soft fresh white cheese), and shredded cheddar. Then add the finishing touches: sour cream, limes wedges, fresh cilantro, and a pinch of fresh ground pepper. This is a delicious and hearty meal for any time of the day, rancher or not!

Huevos Rancheros