Bim's Huevos Rancheros
My favorite brunch dish is one I don't cook -- my husband makes it, usually for a gang around the holidays. The recipe got its start at a 1995 chili cook-off in Creede, Colo., where a green chili and its very cute creator caught Bim's eye. A little schmoozing, and maybe a little flirting . . . and next thing I knew, Bim had the recipe. -- Candace Floyd
My favorite brunch dish is one I don't cook -- my husband makes it, usually for a gang around the holidays. The recipe got its start at a 1995 chili cook-off in Creede, Colo., where a green chili and its very cute creator caught Bim's eye. A little schmoozing, and maybe a little flirting . . . and next thing I knew, Bim had the recipe. -- Candace Floyd
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- sliced black olives
- 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
- 1 large red onion finely chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds regular bulk pork sausage
- 1 jalape�o, seeded and diced
- 6 (4-oz) cans diced green chiles undrained
- 1/2 teaspoon tabasco
- 12 (8 to 10-inch) corn-flour tortillas (such as chi-chi's cafe style)
- 3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
- sliced pickled jalape�os
- 12 eggs, fried
- Carbohydrate 3.15946833413663 g
- Cholesterol 59.7515416724013 mg
- Fat 21.0268212520422 g
- Fiber 0.237868748943186 g
- Protein 14.8257841669985 g
- Saturated Fat 12.9151095845525 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (114g)
- Sodium 413.030687518007 mg
- Sugar 2.92159958519344 g
- Trans Fat 1.12664375011896 g
- Calories 260 calories
Step-by-step
- Place sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain sausage; remove from pan.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to same pan. Add onion, jalape?o and garlic. Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add green chiles, cumin, cooked sausage, water and Tabasco. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 11/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until very little liquid remains.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and cook, stirring, until golden, about 4 minutes. Gradually add chicken broth, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture to sausage mixture, stirring to blend well. Cook over medium heat until very thick and smooth, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.
- Coat two 13 x 9-inch baking dishes with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350F.
- Spoon about 1/3 cup sauce on each tortilla. Top with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in a pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Sprinkle with pickled jalape?os and olives, if using. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
- To serve, place one filled tortilla on each plate. Top with a fried egg and garnish with sour cream and tomatoes. Pass additional hot sauce at the table
Will the tortillas turn to mush before the cheese ever melts in the oven? That question crosses the mind of any cook watching twelve rolled corn-flour tortillas soak up a heavy layer of sauce and cheese in two baking dishes. The structural integrity of this baked dish depends entirely on reducing the initial green chile and pork mixture until nearly all liquid evaporates. Simmering that sauce over low heat for up to two hours concentrates the canned chiles, spices, and bulk pork sausage into a dense paste before the flour and chicken broth roux is ever incorporated. Skipping this extended reduction phase leaves excess moisture that ruins the texture of the tortillas during the thirty-five to forty-five minutes of baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Huevos rancheros traditionally features fried eggs atop lightly crisped corn tortillas with a warm tomato-chile salsa, but this variation transforms the components into a casserole format designed to feed a crowd of twelve. Browning the pork sausage completely at the start and draining the excess fat prevents the filling from becoming greasy, while cooking the flour and butter mixture until golden removes any raw starch flavor before the chicken broth goes in. Building the roux separately and stirring it into the thickened sausage base guarantees a smooth consistency that coats each rolled tortilla securely. Baking proceeds until the Monterey Jack cheese turns lightly browned at the edges and the internal temperature reaches safe serving levels. Finishing each plated portion with a freshly fried egg, diced tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream adds the necessary contrast of cool dairy and bright acidity to balance the rich, spiced pork filling.
