santa fe eggs....

[mike_c]

With apologies to New Mexicans who take exception to my interpretation. This is a must after I cook a mexican dinner with a red chili sauce, which always yields left-over sauce (I make sure it does!). This is what I made for lunch today.

Santa Fe eggs. This is the basic recipe for one person. Increase as necessary.

2-3 corn tortillas
2-3 eggs
1/8 tsp toasted sesame seeds
warmed chili colorado sauce (recipe below)
salsa fresca (recipe below)
crumbled cojita or queso fresca cheese

Fry the tortillas one at a time in hot oil or fat until they begin to puff and become fragrant, but don't crisp them, about 30 seconds per side. Drain on a paper towel, then arrange on a plate. Fry the eggs until the whites are just set (salt and pepper to taste). Slide them from the skillet onto the tortillas, keeping the yolks intact. Spoon some of the hot chili colorado over the egg whites, leaving the yolks exposed. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and some finely crumbled cheese. Serve with a dollop of salsa fresca on the side.


Chili colorado:

I usually double this recipe to insure that I have left-overs.

3 each dried red chilis ancho, passilla, and anaheim (new Mexico). Add one or two hot dried red chilis if you like your sauce to go beyond the mild warmth of these chilis.
2 roma tomatoes
2 whole shallots
2 garlic cloves
1 bottle lager beer (use a malty one rather than a hoppy one to avoid bitterness)
1 tsp mexican oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 piece (approximately) of Ibara or other (sweetened) mexican chocolate
1/2 Tbsp lard

Clean the dried chilis by discarding the seeds and stems, keeping the peppers as intact as possible. Set aside.

Char the tomatoes directly in a gas flame by laying them right on the burner until the skin splits and begins to blacken-- about a minute per side. Set aside to cool. Separate the shallot halves and char them, along with the garlic, skins intact, in a VERY hot heavy skillet. Remove and cool. Blister the cleaned chilis in the hot skillet by pressing with a spatula, then flipping and doing the same to the other side. Only blister for a couple of seconds per side-- you should see blisters forming under the skill-- but do not burn the chilis. Cover the blistered chilis with boiling water in a bowl and let them sit for 20-30 minutes. Brush out any ashes from the skillet, but don't wash it yet. Turn off the heat and drop in the lard to melt.

Meanwhile, peel the tomatoes, chop, and put into a blender. Peel and chop the shallots and garlic and add them. Add the oregano and salt. Drain the softened chilis and add them to the blender-- discard the soaking water-- do NOT yield to the temptation to use this water in the sauce. it will make the sauce bitter. Puree on high speed, adding beer to make a moderately thick chili sauce.

Heat the lard to medium high heat and fry the chili puree, stirring constantly, for several minutes. Add the chocolate, reduce the heat to very low, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning. The chocolate is mainly to counter any bitterness and to add a subtle base flavor-- use just a little (or just a pinch of sugar instead). Add more beer or water if necessary-- you'll probably want to thin the initial mixture anyway. Be very careful to avoid burning the cooking sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary-- I usually end up adding just a tiny bit more chocolate if the sauce has a touch of bitterness. The sauce should be a deep, deep red-brown.


Salsa fresca:

2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 serano pepper, minced
a handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
juice of 1/2 lime (scant)

Mix all the ingredients and let sit for about 1/2 hour to allow the flavor to develop, stirring occasionally.

[bearfan454]

1. It sounds good.

I will have to try eggs that way.

[mike_c]

2. I usually make a batch of the chili colorado for other things...

...or just make a batch and then freeze it in ice cube trays-- two cubes, thawed and microwaved, is just right for a plate of eggs. I made the chili colorado last night to top chilis relleno. That's a marvelous combination-- the deep rich flavor of the sauce, the crunchy batter, the fresh taste of roasted green chili poblano, and the smooth melted cheese.

Ironically, I also made another salsa that I sent home with some of last night's guests, and they served it this morning over eggs, slices of left-over grilled steak, and tortillas. Here's that recipe (inspired by one in the Coyote Cafe cookbook-- it might be identical, but it's been years since I read the recipe in the book):

Smoky chipotle-tomatilla salsa

4-5 ripe green tomatillas
1 roma tomato
1 whole shallot
2 garlic cloves
1/2 to 2/3 small can of chipotle chilis, with their adobo
1/4 tsp salt

Separate the garlic cloves and the shallot halves, then char them in their skins in a very hot, heavy skillet, turning occasionally until they're blackened on several sides. Set aside to cool.

Remove the paper husk from the tomatillas and char them in the same skillet over high heat for 10-15 minutes, rolling occasionally to develop char on different spots. Turn off the heat and cover the skillet for a few minutes. The tomatillas will turn very soft.

Meanwhile, set the tomato in a gas flame for a minute or two on each side until the skin splits and blackens in spots. Cool and peel, seed and chop. Put the chopped tomato, peeled roasted garlic and shallots, and the tomatillas in a blender with the salt. Add the chipotles and their adobo, then pulse chop for a few seconds to a well blended but not totally pureed mix. Let the flavors blend for 30 minutes or so at room temp before serving.

This salsa is pretty hot, but very flavorful, so a little goes a long way. You can control the heat to some extent by varying the number of chipotles, but since they are so important to its flavor, this salsa will always be rather fiery. But it's VERY good.

[cleofus1]

3. sounds delicious!

very close...dangerousley close to huevos rancheros...i'm hungry now....

[mike_c]

4. it's essentially santa fe style huevos rancheros....

Eggs on tortilla, but with chili colorado instead of salsa ranchero.