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Huevos Rancheros
At it’s simplest; Huevos rancheros (or ranch style eggs) are eggs on tortilla with some fiery salsa thrown over. But the Giraffe version I ate had cheese, chorizo and beans, which made it more substantial, and perfect for brunch. To keep it vegetarian, skip the chorizo, it will still be delicious.
There’s a fair bit of chopping and prep, but easy stuff that the kids can help with. I like lots of fresh salsa and coriander on top; it really brightens the dish and makes it fresh and summery. Use the best and ripest tomatoes for the salsa. Feel free to increase or decrease the chilli, depending on how fiery you want the salsa.
You can use flour or corn tortillas. I happened to have some whole-wheat tortillas in the freezer from the time I had made quesadillas, so that was perfect. For the cheese component, this is a perfect time to use all those little bits of cheese lurking at the back of the fridge. Any melting cheeses like cheddar, mozzarella, gruyere, etc. work well. I had a little feta in the fridge I needed to finish so I used a combination of that with cheddar.
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Huevos Rancheros
A Mexican inspired brunch dish, like an open sandwich but using tortillas as a base and topping it with all manner of goodies, beans, eggs, and a fresh avocado salsa. A real family pleaser and one that kids and adults both enjoy.
For the salsa, combine all the ingredients, except the lime or lemon. Add that to taste along with the salt and pepper. The quantity of lime will depend on the tartness of the tomatoes.
Heat a frying pan on medium heat, Add a small splash of oil, and fry off the chorizo for about 3-4 minutes just until it starts rendering fat, and become a little crisp. It shouldn’t be fully cooked, as it will continue to cook in the oven.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the beans, sweetcorn, chopped onion and tomatoes, and the spices. Add salt and pepper and check seasoning.
Put baking sheets or parchment on 2 large baking trays. Place 2 tortillas on each tray. Divide the beans mixture evenly and spread almost to the edges. Divide the chorizo (if using) amongst the 4 tortillas.
Cover with the grated cheese.
Place trays in the oven and bake for about 6-10 minutes (if using fan setting you should be able to use multiple oven shelves, and if not then you will need to rotate the trays halfway through cooking). The cheese should be melting and the edges of the tortillas golden brown.
Whilst the tortillas are baking, put the frying pan back to heat for cooking the eggs. Fry the eggs (2 at a time). Add some olive oil as needed. Season the eggs.
As soon as the tortillas are done, pull them out of the oven, place 2 eggs on each tortilla and top with the avocado salsa. Transfer gently to a serving plate using a flat spatula. Garnish with sprigs of coriander and eat right away.