Thursday, September 23, 2010

According to Big J . . .

The late supper I made last night was fantastic. Sometimes I ask myself, after a comment like that, if cooking complicated meals is worth it. Of course, as Julia says, it doesn't have to be fancy or complicated to be good. I think this is a good reminder as we head into fall and I am tempted by exotic/new/technique-heavy recipes.

So what was it I made? Huevos Rancheros. Simply a crispy corn tortilla topped with black beans, fried eggs, tomatillo salsa, and a dab of sour cream. I thought it was pretty tasty myself, but I am partial to the dish in general. Ordinarily I would add avocado, but had none on hand. I suspect there were two things that contributed to the yumminess of this particular dish: fresh organic eggs my superior frying technique. Certainly I would advocate the freshest egg possible -- and as I've probably said before, egg yolks are nature's delicate, decadent sauce.

But the frying can be tough. I have a simply method that insures a nice yolk and fully cooked whites: pre-heat the pan with a dab of butter on medium high (I actually use "6" on our electric stove). Crack the eggs into a bowl while the pan is heating. Once the butter is melted and not frothy (you know what I mean), add the eggs. Cover the pan with a lid. At about minute 3, begin to check the eggs. You will not have to flip them and I assure you the whites will cook. When they are cooked to your preference, slide them out of the pan onto your plate. Trust me....the lid does the work and you take credit for a perfectly fried egg!

1 comment:

Sally HP said...

I've never made Huevos at home! The mamacitas version always was a little gross, so I never tried it, but this sounds delish and I have all the ingredients for it! My kids would even eat it!