Choose your own adventure (Ranchero Baked Eggs)

I have been spending more time with my cookbooks lately.  I shared those pot pies with you recently and while I snagged those from smitten kitchen, I also noticed her recipe for Ranchero Baked Eggs.  It looked so yummy!  My friends and I decided to get together for brunch at a friend's house and made it a pot luck.  I thought these would be great to bring!

I give you two methods for serving below, and I am going to suggest you make individual servings.  I made both because I made a little one for Kevin to have and try.  It was much easier to serve!  I made some changes to the original recipe like charring the onions and garlic (my new favorite thing!) and using refried beans.  This is such a great recipe and is even great for breakfast for dinner or meatless Monday!  Make this for any meal adventure, you won't be sorry!  Full recipe to follow the montage. 

Oh, how yummy that looks!  Wait until you see the garnish!

The cast on a sunny day!

This really gives you so much flavor!

Chop them on up.

Make that yummy sauce!

Heat these guys on up.

Mix in the sauce

Place your egg on top.  Look how pretty that yolk is!

Get you some cheese on this and broil it!

Make your strips smaller that I did please!  These were more like wontons.

Yummy cream!  Always a cool customer.

Pin it for when eggs are hanging out just waiting to be delicious!

Baked Ranchero Eggs (Inspired by The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook)

1 medium white onion, quartered
1 to 2 cloves of garlic

1 jalapeno, stemmed and seeded and cut into pieces
2 15.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes, fire-roasted if you can find them

1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 can refried black beans
12 eggs 
1 1/4 c. grated jack cheese 
6 to 8 small corn tortillas, cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch strips 
olive oil and salt to taste
2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 c. sour cream

1/4 cup chopped chives
chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

hot sauce as you wish

Preheat the oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with parchment. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  If is is well seasoned, just add the onion and garlic to the skillet.  If not well seasoned,  add a thin coating of oil and place them in there.  Sear on each side for a few minutes until there is some browning (see photo above)

Cut the onion into smaller pieces and add that, garlic, diced tomatoes, cilantro and salt and pepper to a blender and blend until smooth – give this mix a taste for salt and pepper and season accordingly. Heat a 12-inch oven proof skillet on medium heat, add the beans and heat.  Then pour in sauce from blender, mix  and bring it all to a simmer for about 10 minutes until it has reduced slightly.

While the ranchero sauce and beans are simmering, spread all of your tortilla strips onto your parchment lined baking sheet, brush them with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle all with a tinch of salt. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes (this will depend on how thin you’ve sliced them), until they are slightly browned and crispy. Set them aside and keep the oven on. In a separate bowl, stir together the sour cream, lime juice and chives and set this aside as well.

Once your ranchero sauce has thickened slightly, turn off the heat.  Here is where you can choose your own adventure:  1. Fill individual ovenproof ramekins with sauce and place one egg in each and cook in the oven until eggs are set or 2. Keep the sauce in the skillet and break the eggs evenly over the surface, distributing them as evenly as possible. Turn the heat back on, cover the skillet and allow the goodness to simmer for about 10 minutes. The whites should be opaque, but still very jiggly, it may be difficult to tell.

No matter which adventure you chose, preheat the broiler, sprinkle everything with the cheese, and then carefully place the skillet  or ramekins on a baking sheet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and blistered a little bit, about 2 to 5 minutes, please watch it closely! Garnish accordingly, or you can add spoonfuls of crema, a scattering of crispy chips and extra cilantro to the skillet to make a beautiful presentation. Serve straight away and remember how hot those eggs are!

Happy Cooking!

Missy