Mar 24, 2010

Huevos Rancheros

Our editor-in-chief, James Oseland, penned a tribute to the home of these Mexican eggs in "Best Breakfast in Town" (March 2010), about La Abeja, a café in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Based on La Abeja's recipe, these fried eggs smothered in tomato sauce can be eaten morning, noon, or night.

Credit: Penny De Los Santos

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

14 plum tomatoes, cored
12 tbsp. canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ jalapeño, stemmed and minced
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 corn tortillas
8 eggs
Pickled jalapeño slices, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a 12" cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add tomatoes; cook, turning, until skins blacken, 8–10 minutes. Peel tomatoes; purée in blender; strain; set aside.

2. Heat 4 tbsp. oil in a 4-qt. pan over medium heat. Add garlic, jalapeños, and onions; cook until soft, 6–8 minutes. Add tomatoes; boil. Stir in lime juice; season with salt and pepper.

3. Working in 4 batches, heat 1 tbsp. oil in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add 2 tortillas; cook, flipping once, until warmed, about 20 seconds. Transfer tortillas to 4 plates. Working in 2 batches, heat remaining oil in skillet over medium heat; cook eggs to desired doneness. Top each tortilla with a fried egg and tomato sauce. Garnish with pickled jalapeños.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #127

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Ratings & Reviews (7)

by countrycasual on 2010-02-15

I love Huevos Rancheros! However I would suggest using a stainless steel pan or nonstick pan to cook the tomatoes, as cooking them in a cast iron skillet will ruin any seasoning you've accumulated in your pan. The acid in the tomatoes will cut through, you can always re-season your pan, but I'm not sure what added benefit there is to using a cast-iron pan for the tomatoes vs. a stainless steel or non-stick pan.

by krisburq on 2010-03-10

Using acidic foods in an iron pan will increase the iron
in your food thereby increasing your iron intake. For
vegetarians it is a good trick. I agree though, re-seasoning
a pan is never the same than a well seasoned pan.

by NVPOTTERY on 2011-03-14

Huevos Rancheros in NM are not about the tomatoe and jalapeno mix! You make green chilie with onion, garlic, chicken boulion and water, corn starch to thicken, you may add crushed tomatoe or not. The rest is the same but WOW is this a great dish! OH we use flour tortillas.

by Donaldjacobs on 2011-03-15

You just gave me an idea. I also do not like totally ruining the seasoned "finish" in my cast iron pan. But yesterday I made my favorite Saveur recipe upside down pear honey cake and when I flip it there is always that slight bump of residue honey. I could boil it out or scrub it out but I am reluctant to do that. Today I will do the Huevos Rancheros recipe which will, of, course disolve the honey bump without ruining the seasoning that I have carefully nurtured over 30 years of using the pan. I love Huevos Rancheros (usually cooked in non stick circulon pan. As usua; your suggestion sounds better.

Don Jacobs

by kjmerz on 2011-05-04

this recipe is ridiculous -- how can you have Huevos Rancheros without Salsa Ranchera?????

by NancyFMcCune on 2012-01-04

I agree with reviewers on the cast iron for sauteeing tomatoes but in this recipe the cast iron skillet is used as a comal so it's just for blackening the skins of the tomatoes and works great without ruining the pan. Having said that I was reading this recipe when hubby decided to work from home and requested breakfast so I used a can of Muir Glen fire roasted diced tomatoes with adobo seasoning. I just pureed them well and didn't strain them and otherwise followed the recipe which takes 2 seconds and thought it was delicious!!! I make different variations of huevos rancheros all the time so I will add this one to my quickie pantry staples list. Reserving more authentic iteration for when I have the time and energy. Oh and I served it with black beans cause that's what I had. Mmmmm