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World's best Huevos Rancheros

Independent cuisine tips for the professional at Leisure

October 2008

Don grew-up in the Southwest and he has made me familiar with all of the variations of Huevos Rancheros, a tradition of eating eggs and hot chile that dates back for centuries.

Huevos Rancheros (literally "ranch eggs") was one of the first real fusion cuisines, born of the culinary marriage between the Spanish Conquistadors and the Native Americans. Much of what is labeled "Mexican" food is a variation of several regional cuisines (i.e. Tex Mex), and the New Mexico fusion of Indian and Mexican foods are beyond compare.

Huevos Rancheros come on many variations

So, how to we get the best Huevos Rancheros? We either go to famous restaurants or make them at home, from scratch!

Finding the best Huevos Rancheros

While there are several variations on a theme, real Huevos Ranchero's consist of a homemade tortilla (usually a flour tortilla), smeared with refried beans, covered with eggs of your style (I use omelet style), and smothered with read or green chile and sharp yellow cheddar cheese. (WARNING - Putting salsa on Huevos Rancheros is a California invention, and it's a serious crime in some areas of Texas and New Mexico).

In New Mexico there are several restaurants that are world-famous for their Huevos Rancheros:

Perea's - Perea's new Mexican Restaurant (505-232-9442, 5801 Central Ave NE, ABQ, NM) has, hands-down the world's best Huevos Rancheros I've ever eaten. The flour tortillas and hand-made, the refried beans are hand soaked and fried (in bacon grease, I think), and Perea's red and green chile are beyond compare. Perea's also serves the best hash browns I've ever tasted. I've known the Perea family for decades and they have spectacular New Mexican breakfasts and they best Carne Adovada breakfast on the planet.
Little Anita's - The original Little Anita’s is only in New Mexico, but has a branch in Denver (303-691-3337). Little Anita's also serves-up amazing Huevos Rancheros, and they have satellite restaurants across the USA. If you are ever in Washington DC or Denver, check out "Little Anita's", a bastion of authentic New Mexico foods. Little Anita's has gone mainstream, with New Mexico restaurants in Herndon, Vienna, Leesburg and Ashburn Virginia.
Monroe's - Monroe's has their own creative take on Huevos Rancheros, wonderfully hot, with some of the best red chile in the world. You can call Monroe's Chile (505-881-4224 or 505-242-1111) or e-mail info@monroeschile.com) and arrange to have their world-class red and green chile delivered anywhere in the world! I order it by the case, and I can personally attest to it's greatness.


	Monroe's Red Chile		Monroe's Green Chile

Our son Andrew Burleson like his Huevos Rancheros with half-red and half-green chile, a delicacy he called "Christmas Huevos" because of the festive holiday color.

Also, note that the jarred red or green chile can be cooked with a smoked pork shoulder and posole for a traditional New Mexico holiday stew


Fresh roasted green chile	Green chile can be poured over roast beef burritos

Now that I've enticed you, let's see how to make amazing Huevos Ranchero's anywhere in the world!

Making the World's best Huevos Rancheros

It's not hard to make world-class Huevos Rancheros at home, provided that you order the right ingredients:

Chile - Chile (not Chili) is those wonderful peppers grown only in the field's surrounding Hatch New Mexico. In late summer, you can buy the fresh green chile in 50 lb. bags at any New Mexico Supermarket, and they roast then on-site, with the wonderful smell of roasted chile in the air. The fresh Green Chile's are hard to transport, but the second best option for world's best Huevos Rancheros is the jar version sold at Monroe's. Not too hot and full of flavor, New Mexico chile is the best in the world.
Refries - Most folks like real homemade pinto beans with their Huevos Rancheros, but they don't like the work. The pintos must be soaked and cooked with smoked ham hocks for that original smoky flavor. If you not inclined to do the beans from scratch, canned refried beans are acceptable, but you need a drizzle of bacon grease to give then that homemade smoky flavor.
Homemade tortillas - Making your own flour tortillas is not difficult, just use lard, flour. Se here for flour tortilla recipe.
Eggs - Some folks like their Huevos scrambled, others sunny-side up, but I prefer cooking them omelet style, frying the eggs in bacon grease until they are crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.

Monroe's mails chile worldwide (505-881-4224)

Janet Burleson's worlds best Huevos Rancheros Recipe

Using the ingredients described above, just follow these simple steps to a great Huevos Rancheros breakfast:

Start with the flour tortilla. If you are using dry (store bought flour tortillas), sprinkle then with water and microware for 15 seconds to restore their natural moisture.
Cook your eggs to taste. Cook eggs in an extra hot skillet to get a crispy texture, so they don't become soggy when covered with chile sauce.
Place the tortilla on a platter and spread with fresh pinto beans (or refries). If you use canned refries, it's important to add water to restore their natural "thick soup" consistency.
Add eggs over the tortilla and beans.
Drizzle with red or green chile and top with a sharp aged yellow cheese.
Microwave for 100 seconds (one minute, 40 seconds) until the cheese is melted and wonderful.

The world's best Huevos Rancheros - anywhere in the world!

Flour Tortilla recipe

3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
4-6 Tbsp. lard
1 1/4 cups warm water

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add lard and mix-in with both hands.
Add warm water slowly until your dough is soft.
Knead the dough for a few minutes.
Pull dough into a dozen balls.
Roll out your balls with a rolling pin to 1/8 inch think. The thickness is important because you want the tortilla to be crispy on the outside a gooey on the inside.
Lay the raw tortilla in a very hot skillet for just a few seconds until you have a nice brown-tone spots form on the surface.