Huevos Rancheros and Tequila

Fresh homemade salsa has become a regular thing with me lately, and any dish I find that can accommodate it is going straight to the top of my “to do” list. More often than not, I’m racing to finish a leftover stash of it from a previous night’s meal. Any more than two days sitting in the refrigerator, and the salsa loses its potency, becomes too watery and stands in the refrigerator merely as a reminder of my inability to reduce recipe measurements when I’m only cooking for myself and MG and not the entire office.

So when I see a recipe or a blog entry (in this case, Smitten Kitchen, yet again that makes room for the salsa, I’m pretty sure it’s to cook up in my kitchen.

Add to the fact that egg dishes are usually pretty easy to conquer, fast to prepare, and good morning, noon and night, and this recipe even had more going for it.

And if you can find an excuse to squeeze in some tequila on a Wednesday night too, well…!

Grab your frijoles and climb on board

• Four eggs
• Four small corn tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream
• 1 can of refried beans
• 1 tomato
• 1 bell pepper
• 1/2 medium-sized white onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• cliantro
• salt, pepper and cumin for seasoning
• 1 large bottle of tequila
• 1 lime

First off, chop up the tomato, the peppers, the onion and the cilantro into a nice salsa and chill it in the refrigerator for no less than half an hour. Then, take one tequila shot with your significant other, complain about your day, and turn on the television.

Once the salsa has had time to chill, heat up some oil and drop in your corn tortillas. Once they start to brown, flip them over, and sprinkle your shredded cheese over them. At this point, start simmering your refried beans in a skillet and add in a handful or two of shredded cheese. Keep the heat low and stir regularly. As the cheese begins to bubble, stir more frequently, and if necessary, reduce your heat.

This is where Smitten Kitchen concedes that things will get messy… and they did. Break an egg over each cheese-sprinkled tortilla. Smitten Kitchen says, “Don’t worry if it rolls off the edges,” but mine didn’t just roll off the edges, they darted off those tortillas like someone told them they had the swine flu. Add in my clumsiness with kitchen utensils, and a greater mess was made. To counter this, I took another shot, and braved on.

The fun continues! Once the eggs have begun to solidify around the edges, flip your tortilla over again.

Let them cook for another 2-3 minutes, and while they do, take your refried beans to the finish line.

Top with your salsa and sour cream. Throw back another shot for good measure… and dinner is served!

Tags: Drinks, salsa