Huevos rancheros

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For the Canadian instrumental rock band, see Huevos Rancheros.

Huevos rancheros is a classic Mexican breakfast dish which has become popular throughout much of the Americas. 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, and fried eggs with a tomato–chili sauce. Refried beans (frijoles refritos), slices of avocado, fried potatoes, and extra chili peppers are common accompaniments. Scrambled eggs can be used instead of fried eggs.

1 Americanized variations
2 Pop culture references
3 References
4 Recipes

[edit] Americanized variations

As the popularity of the dish has spread beyond Mexico, variations have inevitably cropped up. The American food writer, Clementine Paddleford, found a version in 1950s Texas that called for the eggs to be poached in a tomato-bacon sauce, and served on toast. More commonly, the variations involve flour tortillas instead of corn; pure chili sauce (or enchilada sauce) instead of tomato-chili; additions such as cheese, sausage, and sour cream; and garnishes of fresh tomatoes and lettuce. The use of pre-made salsa and packaged tortillas makes huevos rancheros considerably less labor-intensive.

[edit] Pop culture references

Huevos rancheros were mentioned in Jonathan Larson's 1996 musical, Rent, in the song "La Vie Boheme."
In a 1999 episode of Sesame Street, Luis prepares a romantic dinner of huevos rancheros for Maria with help from Big Bird, Baby Bear and Rosita.

[edit] 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