Cowgirl Ranch Eggs

I'm a big fan of eggs. This might be because I grew up in a very egg-friendly household, where my mom would serve up mountains of fried egg sandwiches to my brother and I for dinner on a regular basis. I loved to dip mine in ketchup, so the sweetness of the bright red sauce would mingle with the salty eggs and soft, buttered toast. To this day, I sometimes get mean cravings for this absurdly simple meal.

But, sometimes I like to dress up my eggs. Just this past week, I decided to whip up some huevos rancheros -- a crispy tortilla and creamy beans with perfectly-cooked eggs and spicy ranchero sauce sounded like just the thing to counter my mid-winter blahs. I like to scramble my huevos, but the traditional way to cook them for this dish is sunny-side-up. Try them whatever way you like best, but make sure to grind some fresh pepper over the top before digging in. Caliente!

Huevos Rancheros

1 batch ranchero sauce (below)
2 large corn tortillas
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup refried beans
1 tbsp butter
4 large eggs
grated cheddar or monterey jack

1. Preheat oven to 500 F. Brush tortillas with the oil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes or so, until slightly crisp. In the meantime, warm the refried beans (I usually use the microwave).
2. Melt butter in a non-stick skillet. Add the eggs, and scramble until almost set. Sprinkle the eggs with cheese and cover to finish cooking (about 1 minute more).
3. Spread half of the refried beans onto each tortilla. Divide the cooked eggs between the tortillas, and then pile on the ranchero sauce. Grind some fresh pepper on top, and serve with sour cream and diced avocado, if desired.

Ranchero Sauce

1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 cup chopped tomatoes, seeded
1/2 cup water
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (remove membranes for less heat)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1. Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the onions, green pepper, and a pinch of salt, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, remaining salt, cayenne, garlic, and jalapeno, and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Finally, add the water, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the cilantro. Season to taste and cover to keep warm until ready to assemble the huevos rancheros.

Serves 2