
I've had a busy morning in my kitchen! I baked Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins and then I did some house cleaning. My stomach got a little hungry for some protein a few hours later-- so I took a peek into my fridge. Hmmmm, I had some thawed, cooked Pinto Beans (with the reserved water) that I had cooked and frozen a few weeks ago...eggs... some pico de gallo that was reaching the end of it's life...some cilantro. I always keep some kind of cheese and sour cream on hand. That's it! Huevos Rancheros!
I've never made Huevos Rancheros before, but I figured it had to be pretty easy to do. In scouring a few food blogs and recipe websites, I saw several recipes for Huevos Rancheros. I decided to improvise, and to hope that my Mexican D.N.A. would lead the way:
I thawed some corn tortillas (I am blessed to have an upright freezer in the garage). I was too hungry to make my own salsa, (and I wanted to use up what I had) though I found a great recipe idea on roasting my own tomatoes for salsa. That will wait until my own homegrown tomatoes start ripening-- in a few months.
So, I heated up the leftover pico de gallo and added a little bit of cumin. I was on to something...
Now, for the beans. This was easier than you can imagine-- and MUCH tastier than refried beans in the can! I know that lard is commonly used to make refried beans. I had bacon, and I figured that would work just as well.
I cooked four slices of bacon, to render the fat. I set aside the bacon for me to nosh on, until my son spied them and swiped them as an appetizer.
Next, I placed the thawed beans and the juice into the bacon fat and heated it up on a medium-high heat. I didn't photograph this step, but the beans looked pretty watery-- at first.
I took a potato masher to break down the beans, and then let the beans cook for a good 5 minutes or so. In no time at all, the beans thickened and looked great. After tasting the beans, I felt that they needed salt, so I added sea salt (a little at a time), tasting it until it was seasoned just right. Hmmm, I felt I needed something else... ah, a pinch of cumin...and they were good to go.

I decided to brush the corn tortillas with a little olive oil and I baked them, at 350F, for 5 minutes and set them aside.
In a non-stick skillet, I brushed some olive oil and then cracked four eggs. I added a splash of water and covered them for just a minute, or two. I wanted t eggs to be a little undercooked. One recipe version that I found (America's Test Kitchen)-- that I might try another time, suggests that you make four "wells" in a pan of cooked salsa to poach the eggs. I thought that was brilliant, but I didn't have the time, nor enough salsa-- as you can see:

To pull the the Huevos Rancheros together, I spread some beans on a corn tortilla.
Then I added some salsa, then an egg. At the last moment, I decided to add cheese and place
this under the broiler for a minute (to melt the cheese). That's why I needed to under cook the eggs.
I garnished the Huevos Rancheros with sour cream, fresh cilantro and a lime wedge. I love lime!

This was delicious! The next time I make these, I will make my own salsa and garnish with some fresh avocado. I wish I had more salsa, so that I could have added more.
Making your own refried beans is so simple. I'll try to photograph how to do it, another time.
In the meantime, I am reposting how to cook pinto beans, Cowgirl style (or Cowboy, if you prefer). These are inexpensive to make, and it's great to freeze them. I find that making my own beans is cheaper than buying beans in a can (and there's nothing wrong with that, by the way), and I like controlling what goes into them. I have never learned to like canned refried beans. There is nothing easier and tastier than stove top refried beans, from scratch! I especially love refried beans with hot, fresh tortillas.
You are one busy lady!! You have some lucky men in your house with all this good cookin' going on in the kitchen!
ReplyDeleteWish I was there to enjoy all this goodness. It looks absolutely delicious!!
ReplyDeleteMmm, I love Huevos! I wish I could have had this for breakfast rather than my plain ole oatmeal. Talk about a delicious-looking meal!!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a very busy day...the meal looks very hearty and delish.
ReplyDeleteThere's a cafe down the street fom us tha serves Huevos rancheros and it's one of the two things I order from there every time. Love them!
ReplyDelete