There is nothing like Huevos Rancheros for brunch in my opinion. I have bastardized the dish for my own needs, mostly because I wanted less fat than the typical refried beans (delicious though they are), craved greens, and - also very important - since I could poach the eggs in advance as opposed to the last minute sunny side up ones of the proper dish, I could be with my friend rather than rushing around in the kitchen taking care of finishing touches. Most of this dish can be made in advance actually and assembled at the last minute.
I can't help but feel that the ranchers of yore would have appreciated my city slicker version of their eponymous dish. I meant to serve these with sliced avocado, sour cream and pickled radish but was chatting away and forgot. I did remember to serve them with oven fries, extra hot sauce and mimosas though.
4 corn tortillas
4 eggs
1 can black beans
1 lb curly kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
1 can fire roasted chopped tomatoes
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese or cheddar or a mix of both
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 Jalapeño, thinly sliced
2 Tbsps chopped coriander
2 tsps chilis in adobo
Salt to taste
First prepare the beans. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped scallions and garlic and cook for a few minutes, stirring from time to time, until the scallions have softened.
Lower the heat. Add the can of beans, half the can of tomatoes, the ground cumin, the chilis in adobo. Salt and cook until heated through. You can either leave the beans as is, or mash them slightly; it is all about the texture that you prefer.
Once the beans are heated through and the flavors have melded together, stir in 1 tablespoon of the chopped coriander. Scrape the bean mixture into a microwave safe bowl and set aside.
Return the pan to the stove. Add an additional teaspoon of oil and the chopped shallot. Cook until the shallot is translucent. Add the kale, the remaining 1/2 can of tomatoes, a 1/4 cup water and some salt. Stir to combine and cover. Cook over low heat for five minutes until the kale has reduced and softened. Scrape into another microwave safe dish and set aside.
Wash out the skillet and fill 3/4 of the way up with water. Add the tablespoon of vinegar to the water and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water has come to a rolling boil, turn the heat down as low as you can go, and slip the eggs gently into the water. Cook for exactly 3 minutes, then remove from the hot water using a slotted spoon and drop gently into a bowl of iced water to keep them from cooking further. After a minute or so, remove to drain on a paper towel lined plate.
If you are making oven fries to go with these eggs then your oven is already nice and hot. If not, preheat it to 425.
Brush the remaining teaspoon of oil on both sides of each tortilla. Place in the oven, directly on the rack, for 3 minutes until the tortillas are browned in spots and starting to crisp up. Turn them over and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
As mentioned above, all this can be made in advance up to this point.
When ready to serve, heat the kale mixture and the bean mixture in the microwave for 3 minutes, While they are heating up, lay the tortillas on a baking sheet.
As soon as the microwave pings, top each tortilla with a quarter of the kale mixture, roughly drained. Top that with a quarter of the bean mixture. Add an egg to the top of each of these and top that with a quarter of the grated cheese.
Place these in the oven for the last couple of minutes that the oven fries are cooking and serve at once, sprinkled with the remaining chopped coriander and the jalapeño slices. Serve, if desired, with the add-ons mentioned above.
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