food international: Huevos Ree-os

I wanted to call them Huevos Rancheros, but…they aren’t Huevos Rancheros. Oh, I guess they could pass for Huevos Rancheros at a diner in Bangor, Maine, but anyone who lives in the vicinity of the Southwest would ridicule me if I tried to pull that one.

Nothing against Bangor, Maine! I know you’re all beautiful people. You just aren’t exactly known for your Tex-Mex cuisine.

Don’t feel bad. You got lobster out of the deal.

Anyway, those Huevos Rancheros I’m talking about, typically, are fried eggs topped with salsa or red sauce, set on top of warm corn tortillas, and sometimes served with beans of some sort. They’re delicious, of course. I’ve gone there. But to me, Migas satisfy the corn-tortilla-and-eggs craving for me.

These eggs I’m showing you today—I’m calling them Huevos Ree-os because I’m a dork and had to come up with a name for them—are slightly different. And they’re awesome. They’re my go-to dish on mornings when the hunger hits me hard around 9 am—when I’ve been up since five and haven’t eaten. When a doughnut or a Ding Dong just won’t cut it. And the best thing is, they take about five minutes to whip up.

I’ve got these eggs down to a little bit of a science, so please get out your steno pad and pencil…and settle in!

Just kidding. They’re a total cinch to make. But there is a little consideration when it comes to the cooking time, so you might pay a little extra attention to that part.

 

You need eggs. And no, I don’t have chickens yet. But the time is drawing near. 

Marlboro Man just doesn’t know it yet.

 

Good ol’ picante sauce! I told you this is a five-minute meal, my darlings.

 

Cheese. Cheese of any kind. But my favorite is this thinly sliced Provolone. But I’ve used SO many different cheeses based on whatever I have in the fridge: Swiss, grated Cheddar/Jack, Mexican Cotija (oh, yum), even goat cheese.

 

Now: NEWS FLASH. You will not believe what I’m about to tell you. I ran out of butter today.

I ran. Out of butter. Today.

I. Ran out. Of. Butter today.

No matter how you say it, punctuate it, or look at it, it’s the Gospel truth. I even ran out of the terribly ridiculous unsalted butter that’s always my “last resort” butter. Pastry chefs, please forget you ever knew me. I’m sorry.

 

My point? I have a point. And here’s my point: That I ran out of butter is the reason I’m using canola oil spray instead of butter on my griddle. But if you have butter, use it instead.

Nonstick is best. Heat it over medium to medium-low heat. You want the griddle (or skillet) to be hot enough to slightly sizzle when the eggs hit it, but not so hot that they’ll cook quickly.

 

Mmmm. I love fried eggs.

 

Now, the secret here is to cook the first side just until it’s firm enough to flip over to the other side. You want to cook it at this stage as little as possible. Then, as soon as we flip it, we’re going to get the salsa and cheese on there and reduce the heat. Then we let it sit long enough for the cheese to melt, as the yolk inside cooks very slowly.

 

But first, sprinkle on some salt.

 

Turn the heat to low.

 

Then flip the eggs. And as soon as you flip them, spoon some salsa over the top. Really lay it on!

 

Immediately lay a slice of cheese over the top. The thinner the better; if the cheese is too thick it’ll take too long for it to melt and the yolks will overcook, which would be a sacrilege.

 

I like to use different cheeses—one cheese on one egg, a different cheese on another.

 

Then just let ’em sit and very slowly cook inside as the cheese melts. This stage should take at least 3 or 4 minutes. If you use a skillet, you can always cover it at this stage, which will speed up the melting a little.

Meanwhile, heat up some flour tortillas, roll ’em up, and put them on the side of each plate.

 

When the cheese is totally melted, throw two or three eggs on each plate.

 

I choose three!

I don’t want the cheddar/jack egg to feel neglected.

 

Finally, throw on a good sprinkling of cilantro. It makes it extra delicious.

And then…the moment of truth.

 

Perfection! On its way to becoming gelatinous and set, the yolk is still soft. Warm, but soft. Not at all watery.

Hint: if the yolk doesn’t look quite done when you cut into the eggs, just throw ’em back onto the griddle for a minute. But generally, with the burner on low, the yolks are ready when the cheese is melted.

 

Oh, baby.

This is pretty much my favorite breakfast ever.

At least, at this point in my life. I always reserve the right to change at a moment’s notice.

Enjoy!

Recipe

Huevos Ree-os

Prep Time:

5 Minutes

Difficulty:

Easy

Cook Time:

5 Minutes

Servings:

1 Servings

Ingredients

• 3 whole Eggs
• 3 slices Cheese (provolone, Swiss, Cheddar, Jack, Etc.)
• 1 cup Picante Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• Salt To Taste
• 2 whole Flour Tortillas
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro (optional)

Instructions

Butter the griddle (or a skillet) and crack open the eggs on to it, with a sprinkling of salt. Turn heat to low. Cook the first side until it’s just firm enough to flip over to the other side. Once flipped, throw on some cheese and salsa/picante sauce.

Let the egg sit and cook slowly until the cheese melts – this should take 3 to 4 minutes. If you are using a skillet, you can cover at this point, which will speed up the melting a little bit.

In the meantime, heat up some flour tortillas, roll ‘em up, and put them on the side of each plate.

When the cheese is totally melted, throw two or three eggs on each plate.

Toss on some cilantro, if you so choose.