- Huevos rancheros
Huevos rancheros (Ranch Eggs) is a classic Mexican
breakfast dish similar toHuevos motuleños which has become popular throughout much of theAmericas ."Huevos rancheros" means "eggs ranch-style" or "eggs country-style" in Spanish. The dish traditionally was served at the large mid-morning breakfast, or "almuerzo", on rural farms where workers had a much smaller meal at dawn.
The basic version of "huevos rancheros" consists of corn
tortillas fried lightly, andfried egg s with atomato –chilisauce .Refried beans ("frijoles refritos"), slices ofavocado , friedpotatoes , and extra chili peppers are common accompaniments. Scrambled eggs can be used instead of fried eggs.One popular variation is "huevos divorciados" (divorced eggs). This consists of two eggs served in the style of "huevos rancheros", but with one egg smothered in red salsa and the other green salsa (
salsa verde ), separated by a wall ofrefried beans orchilaquiles .Variations
As the popularity of the dish has spread beyond Mexico, variations have inevitably cropped up. The U.S. food writer
Clementine Paddleford found a version in 1950sTexas that called for the eggs to be poached in a tomato-bacon sauce, and served ontoast . More commonly, the variations involve flour tortillas instead of corn; pure chili sauce (orenchilada sauce) instead of tomato-chili; additions such ascheese ,sausage , andsour cream ; and garnishes of fresh tomatoes andlettuce . The use of pre-made salsa and packaged tortillas makes huevos rancheros considerably less labor-intensive.Another variation, more favorable to younger children, has a soft flour tortilla spread with avocado, wrapped around fried eggs, bacon and baked beans and toasted, accompanied by sour cream, chile sauce or salsa, diced tomatoes and lettuce. Various spices or especias may be added to this variation.
References
*Leonard, Jonathan Norton, (1968) "Latin-American Cooking", Time-Life Books
*Ortiz, Elizabeth Lambert, (1967) "The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking", M. Evans and Co. ISBN 0-87131-333-2
*Paddleford, Clementine, (1960) "How America Eats", Charles Scribner's Sons
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