Heuvos Rancheros topped with Salsa Rachera

Image courtesy of: cookscountry.com

Article by Chef Mitch Samples (scroll down for recipe)

One of the questions I am most frequently asked is, “What is your favorite thing to eat?”  My quick and flippant response to this question is almost always, “Whatever someone else is cooking.”, which to be fair is very, very true.  The honest answer however is a little bit different than that.

I tend to eat seasonally, but don’t think that means what you think it does.  Yes, I like to eat food when it is at its peak, readily available and affordable; what I mean about eating seasonally is a little different than that.  What I mean is that depending on the season I like to eat different types of foods and those are usually categorized into nationalities or ethnic cuisines.  So, for instance in the Spring I tend to gravitate toward Latin American flavors, as the summer moves on, I tend to expand into the tastes of South East Asia, Korea and Japan, this is typically followed by a few weeks in India.  After India, usually comes a fair dose of China and then I make a trip over the steppes and arrive in Eastern Europe about the time for the Holidays.

I don’t know why I do this, maybe I just get bored cooking the same items every day.  Don’t get me wrong though, my cyclical menu above is peppered with the food I grew up eating: bean and ham, porcupine meat balls, casseroles, etc..  But I do like to change it up.  Another nice thing about this way of eating, is it does lend itself to eating “seasonally”, with the meaning of showcasing food that is in season.

So on to Mexico and Mexican cuisine. Understand, by Mexican, I am not referring to the Tex-Mex style that is available in almost all locations in the US.  While it is a satisfying and tasty border town hybrid,  the important idea to remember is that there is no one cuisine of Mexico.  Countless indigenous cultures and multiple injections of colonizers and settlers have yielded an amazing variety of cuisine specific to regions and cities.  And when I cook “seasonally”, I try to keep it as authentic as I can.

This week at the Market we will be cooking with some items that are currently available to us.  Eggs, tomatoes, herbs and onions adding a few homemade corn tortillas and creating a wonderful brunch dish of Heuvos Rancheros.  Some fried eggs, some corn tortillas and some salsa ranchera, a quick and easy country sauce, and we are home!

Salsa Ranchera

1 Broiled Tomato, about 8 oz

1 or 2 toasted serrano or jalapeno chilis

1 small clove of garlic

1 TBS oil of choice

3 TBS finely chopped onion

Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Broil, grill or toast your tomato on a hot pan for about five minutes.
• Blend the tomato, chilis and garlic until smooth but lightly chunky.
• Heat the oil in a pan, sweat the onions and add the blended ingredients to the hot pan.
• Cook the sauce over a hot stove for about 5 minutes until it reduces and thickens a little

Heuvos Rancheros

2 Eggs, any way you like

Two tortillas (we will make from scratch at the market, so come on down for the recipe)

As much salsa rancho as you want!

Come on down to the Market and enjoy this brunch with us.  See you Saturday!