Huevos Rancheros - fancy Mexican brunch

At this point my friend, you probably know me pretty well. Well enough that I know that you know that I love brunching. The naysayers may call it "complicated" or "time-consuming" or just "nay". But nays are for losers, we're the winners that say "yay"! In fact, if you don't like brunching why are we friends? Brunch to me, is one of the greatest joys of life, one of the indulgences that normal work day life does not allow us the time to slow down. So you owe it to yourself on the weekends to make it up. It is the epitome of a sweet perfect weekend, filled with getaways, fun, and relaxation. So we're gonna do it today, we're gonna go for it - we're starting this day with Huevos Rancheros (aka "ranch eggs").

I am a big fan of brunches during the normal-est (pre-pandemic) times. This lock down obviously making it worse. It's preventing me from heading to my favorite brunching patios on a blue sky sunny day like this. I, however, refuse to let this get my spirit down. When reminiscing some of my most beloved dishes, this one comes to mind. I shy-ed away from this before since I often didn't have all the ingredients but today.. thanks to pandemic buying.. I kind of do. Oh-my-gawd it's meant to be!


What do you need:
- 2 tortillas (multi-grain)
- 2 tsp of oil
- 4 eggs
- 1 can of Mexican salsa (or you can chop your own tomato, cilantro, jalapenos)
- 1 Roma tomato, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 cup of chopped parsley/cilantro
- half can of beans
- 1/2 cup of Monetery jack cheese, shredded
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 tsp of cumin
- salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:
- Mix salsa, tomato, parsley, garlic, a dash of salt in a small pan until heated through, turn the stove to low and simmer.
- Add a tsp of oil to the pan and heat up the tortilla, about 30 seconds each side. You want a bit browning, not burnt. We'll finish these up in the oven don't worry. Lay out the heated tortilla out on a baking pan ready for later.
- Pour half can of red kidney beans in the pan and cook it with another 1 tbsp of oil. Mash the beans a bit so there's some chunks but some mushed. Add 1 tsp of cumin, cook for another 2-3 minutes, then spread the re-fried beans on top of the tortilla. The mashing gets the cumin flavor right in the beans. Mmm!
- Fry the eggs, however done or runny you like it. I did a fried egg, medium done. I don't like my eggs runny but you do, certainly can have sunny side up. Remember we are sticking these in the oven so a little less done than how you'd eat them. Now put the cooked eggs on top of the bean spread on the tortilla.
- Scoop the salsa mix over the eggs. Sprinkle cheese all over the salsa. Put the entire tortilla with topping in oven, under broil for about 3 minutes, until cheese is melted.
- After you take the hot bake tray out, add avocados to the side, and a dash of fresh black peppers. Serve now.

Notes:
- Cilantro really adds a bit of Mexicana magic, you can find this ingredient in many South American dishes. I actually didn't (still really don't) really know the difference between cilantro, parsley, and coriander. Also, cilantro apparently can taste like soap to some people. So you either love it or hate it. If it doesn't taste like soap and you like it, then get this ingredient. If you can't stand it, use one of the other 2 as substitute is close enough.
- I used half a can of red kidney beans. Black beans is often the go-to bean for this kind of stuff. Red kidney beans are fine, with a dash of cumin, adds some lovely taste and texture. The red bean skin is a bit tougher so if you like the softer black beans definitely do that instead.
- I used Monterey Jack cheese - but cheddar will do. I'm all about reasonable substitute. Hey you make this however you want.
- For the love of god, definitely do not skip the broil part. It does 3 lovely things to this already lovely recipe: 1) it melts the cheese so it's all gooey on top of your salsa. 2) It kept your beans and salsa hot hot hot and infuses the flavors together. 3) It literally crisps up the tortilla. All the juices from the salsa and beans and eggs will otherwise make your tortilla soggy.. we don't have time for that. Remember the little bit of oil we used to pan fried these babies? It continues to fried up the bread and the crispy edges are every bit worth the work.

Oh, my, Gawd this is like the king of brunches. It's not hugely complicated just has a few layers and you kind of have to cook each layer before putting them together. Start your day with Huevos Rancheros, like el rey!