Saturday mornings are interesting. Depending on how your week/Friday night went, you could be full of vim and vigor, or you could be facing dire straits.Or you could be in Brooklyn at your sister and bro-in-law's apartment, with your parents in town and low blood sugar on the horizon.
That's where I was this past Saturday. My delightful parents made the trek from Tennessee up to NYC, so I obliging made the trek from DC for an ultimate reunion in Brooklyn. Got all that? But anyway, what matters the most about the situation was our need to feed. Mom and I stumbled zombie-like through the corner store, abandoning our original plan to make Eggs Benedict Salad (which is something I've made before and worth a post of its own) in favor of huevos rancheros. Every corner store should have the ingreds for huevos rancheros, and if it doesn't you should just burn it straight to the ground. Or just go to a different one.
Anyway, we scooped up the ingredients and swiftly assembled a delicious brunch for six. Here's how!
Huevos Rancheros de la Casa Shearon
Ingredients:
3 cans unseasoned black beans (and about half of their juices)
ground cumin, to taste
chili powder, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
12 eggs
unsalted butter
salt
pepper
6 tortillas
bunch green onions, chopped
monterey jack cheese, grated
cilantro
olive oil
prepared fresh salsa
prepared fresh guacamole
sour cream
This recipe is not exact, and it relies heavily on your ability to taste things. If you're reading this blog, I assume you can, and will taste this to make sure it is flavorful and to your liking because I don't know the measurements.
Open each can of beans and drain about half the juices. Pour beans into 1 quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add cumin, cayenne, salt, chili pepper, a handful of chopped green onions and a couple spoonfuls of prepared salsa and stir. Allow beans to simmer and reduce while you prepare the rest of the dish.
In a small skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Fry tortillas individually until they are somewhat crisp, then set them aside.
In a larger skillet, heat 1/4 tablespoon or so of butter with a dash of olive oil (to keep butter from getting too hot). Fry eggs to your liking, sprinkling with some salt and pep.
While all of this is happening, hopefully one of your minions (or your sister) will grate the cheese and chop the rest of the onions.
To assemble all ingredients:
Layer tortilla, black beans, 2 eggs, sprinkle of cheese, dollop of sour cream and salsa and green onions. Garnish with a healthy blob of guac on the side (or on top of the whole shebang if you please). Add a slice of lime on the side to squeeze. Voilá! Easy, Americany Eggs of the Ranch.
And if your mother is hanging around, she could make a fruit salad with cherries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and watermelon, with a squeeze of lime.
Enjoy!
