Huevos Rancheros

(Originally posted by Brandi)

I didn’t make it in time for “Food Friday,” but I think this recipe will be worth the wait!

A few weeks ago, Bird and I were out of town shooting a wedding and stopped at a small Mexican restaurant for breakfast. Now that I am on the Beach, I don’t get my usual breakfast tacos, so I scanned the menu to see if anything looked Beachy. Going out on a limb, I ordered Huevos Rancheros. The only “illegal” thing despite all of the lard (what can ya do?..) was the corn tortilla it was served over which I just left on my plate. It was absolutely delicious! And the cool thing is I would have never ordered it had I not been committed to the Beach through thick and thin 

Last night I ran across this recipe and made it for breakfast this morning. It tastes JUST LIKE what I had in the restaurant without all of the lard. Bird and I both give it 5 stars and plan to make it a regular on Saturday mornings.
The recipe I found was By Emeril from Food Network. My modifications are in bold.

Oh, yeah, and Bird took that photo, so that’s exactly what it came out looking like. Nice and yummy!

Huevos Rancheros Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

Ranchero Sauce: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup chopped white onions 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (I didn’t have any on hand, so doubled the green bell pepper.) 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 cup chopped tomatoes and their juice I used a cup of petite diced tomatoes in tomato juice.) 1 cup chicken stock 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro2 teaspoons vegetable oil 4 large corn tortillas (I omitted these) 1/2 cup warm refried beans (I used about 1/3 C per serving and to one can of fat-free refried beans, I added a teaspoon of bacon grease.) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 8 large eggs 1 1/2 cups pepper Jack (I didn’t have this either so used a combo of mozzarella and sharp cheddar. Also, I used WAY less; about 2 T per serving.) To make the Ranchero Sauce, in a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, salt, cayenne, jalapeno, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, and cover to keep warm.In a large skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 tortilla and cook until warmed through and just starting to brown about 30 seconds. Turn and cook on the second side. Remove, cover to keep warm, and repeat with the remaining oil and tortillas. In 2 medium skillets, melt 1 tablespoon of butter each, over medium-high heat. Break 4 eggs into each skillet and fry until beginning to set, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the eggs with the cheese and cover to finish cooking, about 1 1/2 minutes. (I didn’t add cheese at this point; I waited until the end.) Place one warm tortilla on each of 4 plates and spread each with 2 tablespoons (1/3 C)of warm refried beans. Place 2 eggs on top of each tortilla and top with the warm Ranchero Sauce. Then I sprinkled with the cheese. Serve immediately.