Mexican Eggs - Huevos Rancheros The Macho Vegetarian Breakfast

You might be wondering why I would I describe this classic Mexican breakfast as 'macho'. Perhaps all Mexican food is infused with a bit of machismo, even the famous churro, eaten by the truckload at so many street festivals has machismo--no frills, just deep fried dough covered in sugar.

In the past month, my partner has gone full vegetarian leaving me now mostly thinking about meat and since most of the joy I get in cooking is knowing it will be enjoyed by someone else besides me, meat has fallen a bit by the wayside. It's not out of the picture, just more on the periphery.

This got me to thinking about Mexican food and how much I love it, but got stuck on what I could make that didn't have meat in it. I realized that all of my favorite Mexican dishes were strictly for meat lovers until I struck on breakfast and the classic Huevos Rancheros.

_{^{MACHISMO ON A PLATE.}}

I tend to think of vegetarian meals as being a bit delicate. Yes, you can have a hearty Shephard's Pie without meat or a heavy vegetarian lasagna, but generally I have always felt like I was on a diet or doing something 'good' when I ate a vegetarian meal. Huevos Rancheros doesn't necessarily make you feel so much like a saint when you eat it, and that's a plus. Who wants to feel like a saint all the time?

Huevos Rancheros is this... Fried corn tortillas heated to the point of almost crispness, not like a tostada, but enough resistance that you need a knife to cut through it. A pile of refried beans usually cooked in bacon grease or lard (canola oil here), a good salsa and perhaps most important, runny eggs Over Easy or Sunny Side Up.

_{^{THE GOLDEN NECTAR.}}

You got something fried, you got something heavy, you got some heat...now doesn't that seem macho or at least sound like a respectable hangover cure? These components work so well together, you want to get a bit of each thing in every bite, especially some of the luxurious yolk that almost tames the machismo out of this classic breakfast.

You will want to crumble some hard cheese like a cojita or even feta over your beans for a bit of cheesy tang and a big dollop and more of homemade salsa is essential. Please don't try to tell yourself that the store bought brand is 'just as good' because it's not. Sorry. Freshly made salsa is incredibly easy to make and fun to experiment with. The salsaI used for these Rancheros was made in a mortar, but easier techniques are available and should be tried before opening a jar of pre-packaged salsa. (Lecture over.)

I will be exploring more meatless Mexican recipes so follow along and see what I hit on. Maybe I'll even discover the more feminine side of this incredible cuisine. 😂

With Mucho Gusto!

See you next time, @tacostate

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