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Here’s to the Dreamers!
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This isn’t a traditional huevos rancheros; it’s my take on the iconic dish – maybe I should call it Huevos Condominios. Very, very tasty … also impossible to make for breakfast if you don’t make the salsa and tortillas ahead, unless you like to take your breakfast in the mid-afternoon.
To make this dish, you’ll have to make a salsa, make some tortillas, and then fry up some eggs.
Leftover salsa is perfect for dipping tortilla chips into it as you’re binging The Expanse.
Ingredients
- Jeff’s “So Good It Will Make You Weep” Tomatillo-Poblano Salsa
1½ lbs tomatillos
1 poblano pepper
1 medium-sized white onion, peeled and cut into chunks
1 garlic clove, peeled
1½ tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp cumin, or more to taste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
2-4 oz. fresh cilantro (between 1/2 and 1 full bunch), to taste
- Corn Tortillas
2 cups masa harina
½ tsp salt (optional)
Zest from 1 lime (optional)
1½ cups (hot) water
- Assembly
Olive oil (see notes)
Corn Tortillas, 2 per serving
Butter, to taste (less than a Tablespoon)
Eggs, 2 per serving
Salt and pepper, to taste
Tomatillo-Poblano Salsa
Salsa picante, extra hot
Manchego cheese, grated, for garnish
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
Directions
- Salsa
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Heat a skillet over a high flame, while you remove the papery skins from and rinse the tomatillos. Add the tomatillos to the pan and cook, turning constantly, until they’re lightly browned and slightly blistered, 6 minutes.
- Transfer to the oven until slightly softened, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, roast the poblano over an open flame, turning frequently with tongs, until blistered and blackened all over.
- Once the poblano is cool enough to handle, slice it open and discard its seeds. Slice it into chunks and place them in a blender, along with 1/3 of the onion. Add the garlic, salt, cumin, red pepper flakes, a healthy dose of black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Purée in long pulses. Add 1/4 of the tomatillos, one at a time, alternating them with the remaining onion and the cilantro, and continue to purée. Correct seasoning.
- Slice the remaining tomatillos with a tomato knife, and dice them into small pieces. Slide them into a bowl and fold in the purée.
- Tortillas
- Heat a skillet over a low flame.
- Place masa (and salt) in a medium-sized mixing bowl. (Add zest.) Add water. Mix with one hand until your form a soft dough. Cover with a damp cloth.
- Raise skillet heat to medium-high/high.
- Fry the tortillas with a system that, once you’re into it, looks like this: toss a tortilla into the frying pan and set a timer for 1½ minutes. Grab the plastic that the tortilla in the pan was just sitting on, place it over the dough ball you have resting on the tortilla press, press yourself a new tortilla, slide the tortilla, in its plastic, to the countertop, peel back the top layer of plastic, place it gently back on the tortilla, flip the entire thing and gently peel back the plastic on the other side of the tortilla. Remove this side of the plastic altogether and place it on a kitchen scale, return to the tortilla that’s in the frying pan and, making sure that you’re now at the 1-minute mark, flip it. Quickly weigh out a 1-1⅛-ounce ball of dough. Move it and the plastic on which you weighed it to the tortilla press. Pull the cloth back over the remainder of the dough and immediately turn your attention to the tortilla in the frying pan, flipping it at the 30-second mark. When the timer goes off, remove the tortilla to a tortilla warmer. (Whew!) Repeat.
- Assembly
- Decide how many serving you want to make. The ingredients keep well, so you can make some now, and make more in a few days. If you want to make them all at once, you’ll need to do it in batches, or in a large, electric skillet. The following directions will produce two servings:
- Heat oil in a skillet over a moderately-high flame until it shimmers. Add tortillas. Flip them every 30 seconds until you achieve some browning, especially around the edges, and the tortillas have stiffened up but are still pliable, at least 2 minutes total. Remove two of them, slightly overlapping, to one plate, and the other two to another.
- Immediately turn the heat to its lowest setting, add the butter, and after a few seconds, the eggs. Salt and pepper lightly. Run a folk through both each of the eggs’ albumen, several times. Cover the pan. Meanwhile, spoon ¼-cup (more or less, to taste) Tomatillo-Poblano salsa onto the tortillas on one of the plates, and spread it around. Repeat for the other plate.
- Return to the eggs with less than a Tablespoon of water. Pour it into the pan, away from the eggs. Cover the pan. Peak in every 15 seconds or so until you see that the yolks are just beginning to show signs of setting. Slide two eggs atop each plate. Garnish each plate with a few drops of salsa picante and cheese. Add a lime wedge, and serve immediately.
Notes
- The tomatillos may smoke a bit while you’re frying them.
- No, cooking the poblano in this manner will not mess up your gas stovetop. You can also blacken them under (any kind of) a broiler.
- Some of the tomatillos get puréed, some get chunked. The ratio is up to you.
- How small a dice on the tomatillos? Imagine you were going to eat this salsa with tortilla chips (which would be delicious). You’d want the chunks small enough to make that feasible. You have to do the slicing carefully, otherwise you’ll get mush instead of chunks.
- Obviously, you have to get the tortilla-making system started by heating your pan, pressing your first tortilla, and getting your second dough ball ready to be pressed. By “heavy plastic,” I mean a Ziploc bag that you’ve cut into two sheets.
- The salsa and tortillas keep well, so you could produce two servings today, two more a few days from now, etc. I can produce two servings in a 12-inch skillet. Producing all eight servings at once would be best done on a large griddle or electric skillet.
- The purpose of frying the tortilla is for added flavor, texture, and to ensure that it doesn’t turn to mush when you top it with wet salsa. The oil must be hot. Don’t underestimate this.
- If you’re making 2 or fewer servings, you’ll need 2 Tablespoons of oil. If you’re making more than 2 servings at once, you should add 1 Tablespoon of oil for each additional serving.
- If the salsa’s been refrigerated, you must warm it up before plating it.
- The water added to the egg pan will create steam, which will help cook the tops of the eggs. Otherwise, by the time the yolks are perfectly done, the whites might be overly done.
The backstory
The only thing I know about Mexican food is how much I love to eat it. Other than that, I’m fairly clueless. So please, have no expectations of the “authenticity” of this recipe. What I will tell you is that the version of huevos rancheros that I’ve created here is satisfyingly delicious – at least to this super-foodie, American guy – and surprisingly fun and easy to make. And I’ll also tell you how glad I am not only that immigrants come to the U.S., but that they bring their culture – especially their food traditions – with them. I’m pleased and grateful to be able to import those ideas into my cooking.
Social learning
Do you know how many times I’ve bought a bunch of parsley because I needed a tablespoon’s-worth of it? I’d be surprised if you do, because to me it seem incalculable. The rest of the parsley sits in the fridge and eventually rots faster than I can use it up. One day, this dawned on me: I mince the entire bunch of parsley, regardless of how much or how little I need. The leftover goes into a shallow container, which I slide into the refrigerator without a lid. You have to be careful, of course, that it doesn’t get knocked over, because, and I tell you this from experience, that’s a fucking nightmare. Every few days or so, if you think about it, give the parsley a little stir. In a few days (or more, if you have a lot), you’ll have dried parsley. You might not think that that sounds like a good thing to have, if the only dried parsley you’ve ever had is stuff you bought commercially – which tastes like paper. But freshly-dried parsley tastes like … parsley!
Once it’s dried, you can remove it from the fridge and keep it tightly covered at room temperature for what seems to be indefinitely. It then becomes an ever-ready garnish that isn’t quite the same color and definitely not the same texture as fresh parsley, but not at all a poor alternative in most cases. You can dry leftover cilantro in the same way, of course. This salsa – especially leftover – is going to get juicier than you might prefer. Toss in some dried cilantro, and bam!
They say that you can hand-roll a corn tortilla instead of pressing it. I say … well, I won’t say what I’d say in response to that, because it would simply be a string of obscenities that you can easily imagine on your own. Hand-rolling them, I don’t know, maybe – maybe – you could do it in a way that wouldn’t frustrate the hell out of you. The press is so easy, and fun. Yes, a tortilla press is one of those single-use items that takes up so much space.
Next steps
You could dress these huevos up with sliced avocado and either refried or black beans on the side (garnished with precisely three tortilla chips). Perhaps a decorative flourish of sour cream. Cover one of your eggs with this tomatillo salsa, and the other one with a more-traditional salsa roja, and you’ve got a subtle way to announce a special message to your soon-to-be ex.
What to listen to while you’re making your huevos rancheros?
Well, maybe the band “Huevos Rancheros.” They’re a little bland and slightly trippy (as am I until I’ve showered, had coffee, and read the news), and by the very nature of their name, you’d think it’d be a shoo-in. But most mornings, I feel more like this Flor de Toloache song: full of regrets at first, then slowly shrugging it off and coming to life.
Huevos Rancheros
Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Thank you, Kesor. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. Many thanks to The Incredible Egg, Martha*, Mexican Food Journal, NYT, Wikipedia, and the cowboy who said, “You ain’t got no bacon grease? Woah, stop it right there.”
I support DACA as a compassionate solution to a difficult problem. Underlying that perspective, I believe that cultural diversity is part of what makes America great, and so when Trump says he wants to make America great again, I assume that he means he wants to return to the great immigration waves of 1880-1920! How children in cages and a wall that is magically unable to be flown over or sailed around makes America great, I dont’ know.
*2008. “Huevos Rancheros.” In Martha Stewart’s Cooking School, by Martha Stewart and Sarah Carey. New York, NY: Clarkson Potter.
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I’ll take my breakfast any time of the day, especially if it’s this Huevos Rancheros of yours. Making your own tortillas for this recipe is what really highlights it, in my opinion. And the flavors of all these ingredients – Oh My Goodness! I’m so hungry now after reading your post. Thanks so much for sharing.
Linger recently posted…Old Fashioned Easy Banana Nut Bread
You’re welcome! You can’t beat homemade tortillas. They are a bit of work, but it’s worth it.
Hahahahahahaha! Huevoss Condominios! Hysterical. Really, you can call anything Mexican-inspired, but not truly traditional Mexican “Southwestern.” That’s really true, after years of living in Texas. Most of the same elements, but brightened up a bit. More cilantro, for one thing. I have a question. I am planning on making a shrimp dish that I have at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants (or had) and I think there are green peppers in it, which I don’t love, so I was thinking of substituting poblanos. Have you ever used poblanos as is, sautéing them, but not roasting them first?
Mimi recently posted…Tinto de Verano
I know! I love that Mexican food has spawned so many ideas. Actually no, I’ve never sautéed them. I have eaten them raw, though, and I do think they have a good deal in common with green peppers.
Char, spice, acid. I’m sure I’d love this salsa. GREG
I hope so!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try the tomatillo sauce recipe!
Thanks, Jana!
This looks terrific and I can’t take my eyes off from the runny yolk :-)) Love that tomatillo sauce.
Thanks, Angie!
Even though we are not fond of a big breakfast, You know we rather make a smoothie, but we would make this on Sunday’s. Delicious recipe!
Thank you! I know what you mean. I big breakfast can weigh you down. But for some reason, big breakfasts are one of my favorite meals!
I’ve been loving your last few breakfast/brunch recipes. They’re all over-the-top delicious, and I would also welcome any of them at dinnertime. I love these Mexican flavors and am with on being so grateful immigrants that have come to the U.S. have brought their culture and food traditions, of all sorts. We should continue to be the amazing melting pot that we are. No pun intended. 😉 ~Valentina
Valentina recently posted…Chocolate Breakfast Bread Recipe
Agreed!
Hot damn, Jeff. You made your own salsa AND corn tortillas. Count me as impressed here. Laura loves huevos rancheros, and I made her a version with chorizo for Mother’s Day this year. We ate it for lunch because, well, I didn’t have time to make it for breakfast. We also ate so much of it that we didn’t eat dinner. Haha. I love this version, and I’m totally craving that tomatillo salsa now!
David @ Spiced recently posted…Cheesy Jalapeno Garlic Bread
I’m sure it was a great Mothers Day lunch, David. I have to confess, that I ate the huevos for lunch, too! They make a great lunch!
Needless to say, this (or a version of this) dish is one of my favourites! We make a rendition similar to my fav Mexican Restaurant in the Junction, it’s so good. Although I have made my own tortillas, I generally don’t for breakfast unless I think ahead and make a bunch in advance. I love the Tomatillo-Poblano Salsa, it’s a gorgeous colour.
Eva Taylor recently posted…Low Carb Spinach and Goats Cheese Tart
Thanks!
Now this is what I want for breakfast! Honestly all of your recipes are so intuned to my taste. Loving it
Thank you, Raymund!
Jeff,
. I always receive a batch from my CSA every summer and I never know what to do with them.I’m holding on to this tomatillo salsa recipe.
Judee recently posted…Zucchini Noodles and Tofu
Cool!
Love the salsa. And the huevos rancheros, of course. Such a great dish, although I’m more apt to eat it for dinner than breakfast (’cause I’m never hungry for breakfast). Great tip on drying parsley, too — I’m SO going to try that. Although at this time of the year I can just pick the exact amount I need from my garden, so no waste. 🙂
John / Kitchen Riffs recently posted…Pasta Salad with Tonnato (Tuna) Sauce
Ugh! I wish I had parsley growing!
The dish looks great! I like the idea of drying the parsley and storing it! Shall try it soon! Thanks for sharing great recipes!
Thank you, Sonia!
Wow, you’re ambitious making your own tortillas! I’ve got so many freshly made ones for sale around here, I think I might ‘bail’ on that one, but Bravo! Yes, your salsa does look like it could make one weep in more than one way- lots of peppers plus looks delicious!
I know what you mean about the tortillas. There are lots of good ones for sale where I live, too. I have that same issue with baking bread. There’s something about the connection with ancient roots that makes it seem interesting to me. Doing something with my hands that has been done for centuries. And the outcome is so delicious.
What food cravings you brought up in my tummy. So much so I just placed an online order for the ingredients needed to make your version of huevos rancheros. I’m intrigued by the addition of the lime zest in the tortilla. I’ve made a bunch of tortillas but never included zest. I can’t wait to get my masa harina (not available in any store here) so I can try it out. Oh and I totally agree about rolling out corn tortillas, it’s a pain in the bottom. Press it is for me.
Your choice of music is muy bonito! I love that NPR Mariachi video…
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I’m glad you like that video. Aren’t they great? The zest in the tortillas was extremely subtle, but I was nonetheless glad to try it. If you had to special order masa, then you really are going to be in for a rare treat!
There is nothing as good as homemade tortillas – whether corn or flour. Jeff – this is a beautiful dish and so much more interesting to me than the standard recipe. Tomatillos add such amazing flavor to a salsa like this. And, not being much of a breakfast guy, I would make this for dinner any day of the week!
This would make a great any-meal!
I am a big fan of huevos rancheros! Have a nice week-end !
Not parisienne recently posted…Pizza aux poireaux et 3 fromages
Thank you!
Oh, my gosh, what a treat! I sure wish my dad was alive and I’d make this for him—when we’d vacation together in Colorado, he had a favorite (meaning cheap!) breakfast spot we’d all go. Invariably, he would order their huevos rancheros. You’ve brought back some fun (and tasty) memories!!
Liz recently posted…Streusel Topped Peach Tart
That is a great memory!
It must be delicious !
Thank you – it is!
This looks soooo good, and who doesn’t want Mexican food for breakfast? I am growing tomatillos, so I’m saving this for the big harvest.
Pattie recently posted…Tart Cherry and White Chocolate Bread Pudding
Oh, how cool!
This picture has me salivating Jeff! How absolutely delicious does this look??! I have never made homemade tortillas before, and you’ve totally inspired me to do it. And your tomatillo-poblano salsa is absolutely perfect! This is a meal I’d have for breakfast, and then repeat for lunch and dinner, I can already tell. So delicious!
Thanks, Shannon. I’m sure you’ll love it.