One of the most commonly known Mexican breakfast recipes is that of huevos rancheros and I’ve share that recipe with you before. But one that you may not have heard about, yet you should, is Huevos de Albañil. Simply put, Huevos de Albañil, is a fried egg in a delicious tomatillo salsa. The name of this dish translates to Bricklayer Eggs, because the stories say that this recipe was very common amongst construction workers. I still don’t know how it hasn’t made it into mainstream Mexican food because we definitely eat this in most traditional Mexican households and I want to share it with you.
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Huevos Rancheros
To watch step by step instructions on this recipe click HERE.
Besides being a very traditional breakfast recipe of Mexico, Huevos Rancheros, is one of my favorite dishes to eat on Sunday mornings.
The first secret in making delicious Huevos Rancheros is in the salsa you prepare. It is important that you make it from scratch so you can have control of the flavor, the heat level you prefer, and of course because it’s much healthier. The salsa I prefer is a chunky tomato salsa with a little bit of heat.
My favorite egg to cook for this recipe is a basted egg. However, you can cook your eggs whichever way you like best.
Yields Approximately 2 Cups of Salsa
Ingredients:
1/4 cup oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 chopped Serrano peppers
2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Eggs
Corn Tortillas*
2 Limes
Salsa Instructions:
- In a sauce pan bring 2 tablespoons of oil under medium heat.
- First, add the onion and sauté it for about 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and serrano peppers and sauté that for about 2 more minutes. You want to bring out the flavors of the onions, garlic, and serranos but not brown them.
- Sauté the cumin very quickly then add the tomatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper.
- Sauté this for about 3 minutes and add the cilantro.
- Lastly, add the water, lower the heat, and cook down the salsa for at least 15 minutes.
Egg Instructions:
- To baste the egg cover the bottom of a pan with some oil and bring it to medium heat.
- Crack an egg open and carefully drop it into the pan. Sprinkle a little bit of salt.
- Tilt your pan to bring the oil to one side and using a spoon grab some of the oil and pour it over your egg. This will help to cook the top part very lightly.
- Once the edges are a little crispy but the yolk is still runny the egg is done.
To plate Huevos Rancheros you place tortillas on the bottom, add your eggs on top, and top it with as much salsa as you want. I like to also sprinkle a generous amount of lime juice to bring some acidity and balance.
Provecho!
Chilaquiles
Major Disclaimer: By any means this is not the most healthy meal, but it is delicious and very traditional non the less.
In my part of Mexico it is very common to wake up and drink a hot chocolate, an atole (cornmeal drink), a coffee, or tea along with a piece of bread or fruit; a very small desayuno (breakfast). Then, at about 10am to 11am you would sit down and have a great almuerzo (brunch) with your family. Obviously, this was easy because school often began later in the day and because almost everyone worked on their farms and they could come back home easily. Honestly, this was one of my favorite meals of the day. It meant getting together and enjoying life with a hearty meal, this way the rest of the meals of the day were very light. Between 2pm to 4pm you would have la comida (supper) and finally at about 8pm you would have a cena (a very light dinner). These eating habits were much healthier than the american version that I later became accustomed to. I attempt to stick to these meal times whenever possible, specially on a beautiful cloudy New York Saturday like today.
Enjoy one of my favorite Almuerzos!
Yields: approximately 2 plates
Ingredients:
10 corn tortillas
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped jalapeños
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup water
1 cup Salsa Roja
Or substitute any of the other salsas that I have on this site they all go great with this meal.
1/3 cup of corn oil
Eggs
Toppings:
I love to simply add some crema agria and little bit of lime juice to give it some acidity.
However, you could use:
Crema agria
Queso Fresco
Shredded cheese
Avocado
More salsa
etc.
An even easier way to make this dish is to use store bought Mexican Style corn chips. However, the authentic home taste will be lost.
- Using a small sauce pan place about 1/2 teaspoon of corn oil and add chopped onions. Using low heat sauté onions allowing them to caramelize (approximately 5 minutes).
- Once onions are caramelized, add your tomatoes and jalapeños. Sauté for about 3 minutes, then add onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Finally, add your water.
- Allow all of the ingredients to incorporate and for most the water to evaporate. When all incorporated add your Salsa Roja and simmer for about 4 minutes.
- Cut your corn tortillas into 1 inch squares. Making sure to cut the tortillas when cold to make it easier.
- In a deep pan, or deep fryer, heat your oil to 350 degrees.
- By a handful at a time, fry your tortilla chips. They fry really fast, so make sure to take them out of the oil when they turn golden. Don’t allow them to get brown or the taste will be awful. Moreover, don’t over crowd them or they won’t get crispy.
- Place your fried tortilla chips in a bowl with paper towels underneath, to remove any excess oil.
- Once all fried, in a new extended pan add about ½ tablespoon of oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add your sauce to the pan and let the oil incorporate with it.
- Finally, mix your tortilla chips with the sauce and cover with a lid for about 2 minutes on low heat.
- Chilaquiles are done!!!
- Now all you have to do is make an egg however you would like, I highly recommend a fried egg.
- Don’t forget a sprinkle of lime juice.
Enjoy
