From Peru, with love

Last May, I travelled to Peru with one of my dearest friends for a fantastic llama-filled adventure down the southern coast of this beautiful country. It was love at first sight. The air, the sounds, the smells, the landscape - there was something about Peru that captured my imagination, and even 10 months later (has it really been that long?) I still dream about going back.
One of my favourite things about Peru, apart from the freely-roaming, mountain-dwelling llamas (A, I am looking at you), was the food. As you know, I love food, and travelling to a different continent, where different produce was indigenous and where different methods of cooking were used, was, to say the least, very exciting. I am proud to say that I tried a llama steak while in Peru, in addition to quinoa soup, ceviche, pappa rellena, manjar (a type of caramel) and delicious snack foods, in particular empanadas (again, I'm looking at you, A). Now, back in the great white North, I've found myself being drawn to food with a South American influence - the smoky flavours and use of freshly vegetables and citrus is incredibly refreshing, and really cleansing, especially after a winter spent cooped up eating too many carbs and watching an unhealthy amount of Dexter. I stumbled upon this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, one night while browsing for something that would be quick and easy to make with the (limited) ingredients in my fridge. Instant success. It was so delicious that I shared the recipe with MleC, who tried it and made modifications according to his tastes (I'll take his word that it is as good as he claims it is). Ladies and gentlemen, huevos rancheros

Squid's recipe for Huevos Rancheros
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Salsa fresca (makes enough for 3 servings)
2 tomatoes, diced
1 can corn, drained
1 small red onion, diced
1 jalapeno
juice from 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste

Huevos rancheros (per serving)
1 tortilla
1 egg
1 tbsp brie cheese
teeny bit of oil, to brown tortilla

1. Make salsa fresca and set aside (please refrain from eating it while you're cooking)
2. In a medium-sized skillet, brown tortilla for about 2 minutes on medium heat
3. Flip tortilla, and add cheese. Immediate after, crack egg on top of the cheese (don't worry if it runs over the edge)
4. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat, or until the egg is about half-cooked (whites are half-set)
5. Flip the entire concoction over, and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the egg is fully done.
Serve with salsa fresca and, if you're feeling dangerous, sour cream.

Food of the gods

MleC's version

Huevos! Rancheros

I made some slight variations to Squid’s recipe (half the time she can’t tell a kitchen from her aquarium) and I was quite happy with how my version turned out.   Being quite famished after a long day, and knowing that I had a good night of studying ahead, my first change was to add two more eggs.  Although it made flipping the whole thing quite messy, I think that one could use as many eggs as they could fit on top of the tortilla.  Another change that I made was scaling down the volume of salsa, since I knew I would be coming to Montreal the next day and wouldn’t be able to finish a large batch before I left. 

What you need:

Salsa

1 large, ripe tomato, with ½ of the seeds removed.

1/8 red onion

2/3 medium sized jalapeno pepper

As much cilantro as you want.  I added about ½ cup (I love cilantro so much, I eat it by itself sometimes).

Lemon or lime juice, to taste

Salt and pepper to taste.

It is best to let the salsa sit for ~30mins-1hr to let all the flavors mix.

Everything else

3 Eggs

One medium sized tortilla

1 can of black beans, drained (PC blue menu for less sodium!)

Cheddar cheese (I used 3yr aged cheddar for a bit more flavor), grated. 

Sour cream (optional)

Tobasco brand jalapeno sauce

Instructions:

Heat a medium sized pan and add a bit of olive oil. When the oil is hot enough, throw in the tortilla and wait until it is slightly brown.  Then, crack the huevos on top of the tortilla and wait until the egg white has soaked through the tortilla (about 2-3 mins).  This will add a nice texture to the tortilla, and make it a bit more like ‘spanish toast’.  If you want the texture of the tortilla to be more like a quesadilla, then let it brown a bit more and don’t let the eggs hang out as long before flipping.  Next, flip the whole shebang, trying to make as much mess as possible.  After 2-3 mins, lift a corner of the tortilla and, if the egg is cooked to your satisfaction, flip the whole thing back over.  

Then, add as much grated cheese as you wish and scoop the salsa into a nice line down the center of the tortilla, long with ~3-4 tbsp of black beans and then add a bit of hot sauce if you want.  Then fold the whole thing up like a fajita or burrito, and leave it on the pan on low-med heat until the beans are warm and the cheese is melted.  It is now ready to serve with a bit of sour cream. 

Enjoy!