Huevos Rancheros

A traditional Mexican dish perfect for brunch, featuring eggs with a spicy, smoky salsa served on tortillas.

Cook time: 45 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon ancho chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 0 salt to taste
• 0 black pepper to taste
• 2 tomato large, roughly chopped
• 1 red bell pepper roughly chopped
• 1 green bell pepper roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeño finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chipotle paste
• 1 tin canned tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 4 tortillas
• 1 bunch coriander roughly chopped
• 1 bunch oregano roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 egg
• 0.5 lime optional, for garnish

Instructions

1. In a skillet or cast-iron pan, warm 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion, finely chopped garlic, bay leaf, ancho chili flakes and ground cumin. Cook gently until the onion is soft, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add the roughly chopped vine tomatoes, chopped red pepper, chopped green pepper, finely chopped jalapeño, and chipotle paste. Cook until the vegetables start to soften, 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure even cooking.
3. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock. Simmer the salsa for 10-15 minutes until it has reduced and is a dark, luscious red color.
4. While the salsa reduces, warm the corn or flour tortillas in a frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute on each side. Wrap them in a tea towel to keep warm.
5. Finely chop the coriander and fresh oregano. Set aside.
6. In the frying pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat. Fry the eggs until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, about 3-4 minutes.
7. Place a warm tortilla on each plate. Top each tortilla with a fried egg, then cover with the reduced salsa. Garnish with chopped coriander and oregano. Serve immediately with a squeeze of lime if desired.