Another breakfast of champions that works very well as a light meal at any time of the day. This is my (not just eggs) over-easy version of a Mexcal-slash-Southwestern comfort food I loved as a kid.
¡Arriba, Arriba! ¡Ándale, Ándale
This is a great recipe to make from things knocking about in your fridge when you fancy a filling breakfast or an easy light meal any time of the day. And it really does work better with the stuff that is beyond its prime - so good for a "no food waste" policy. This is the recipe per adult diner.
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Per diner...
A handful of small fresh tomatoes such as cherry or plum tomatoes; ripe or better still, overly ripe; sliced into halves or thirds
Half an onion; roughly diced
A clove of garlic, crushed, finely grated or finely sliced
Two eggs
A red chilli or two
A sprinkle of pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
A handful of sweetcorn; tinned, fresh of frozen (defrosted)
A small wedge of hard cheese; Monterrey Jack if you're feeling prissy, but otherwise practically any other kind of "set" cheese that melts nicely; cheddar, edam, etc.
A couple of slices of your bread of preference OR flour tortilla
A little olive oil; approx. 3 to 4 tablespoons
Cooking method
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. When it's hot, add the garlic. As soon as it begins to brown, add the diced onion and sweat, stirring frequently
When the onions begin to become transparent, add the sliced tomatoes and stir vigorously
Once the juices of the tomatoes begin to bubble, sprinkle over the pimentón. Stir continuously.
Add the sweetcorn and stir the mixture thoroughly, adding a little more olive oil as needed
Toast the bread OR warm the flour tortilla in a conventional oven/under the grill
When all of the ingredients show signs of softening, or becoming, "cooked", crumble or roughly grate in the cheese. Stir continuously and, as the cheese begins to melt, crack one of the eggs and add. Stir the mixture ensuring that it does not overcook.
Before the ingredients in the pan are overcooked, push them to one side and reduce the heat slightly. Break in the other egg and allow it to cook "sunny side up".
Place your toast on a plate, dressing with a small amount of olive oil.
Carefully serve the contents of the pan onto the toast. If doing the tortilla version, place the contents of the pan in the centre of the tortilla, placing the fried egg in the centre. Slash the yolk and smear across the filling before rolling it up
Variations
Adding diced bacon, lardons or ham between adding the onions and tomatoes offers delicious outcomes
If opting for the flour tortilla version, a little sour cream with finely chopped chives makes an excellent dressing poured of the top of the warm tortilla
Pairings
I'm sure there are excellent boozy pairings to be found for this one. But, I confess that I only know it as a feel-good breakfast and thus have always had it with coffee.
In keeping with the spirit of true huevos rancheros, it works best with proper cowboy coffee. None of your fancy slow-drip obscurities or Milanese perfection with this one. Better a good ol' medium roast house blend of the timeless bottomless cup of Joe...
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