Huevos Rancheros

This is a breakfast dish from Mexico that has spread to other countries, especially to parts of the United States. There are likely as many variations in recipes, as there are those fixing the dish, and this is my version. There are also a variety of garnishes and side dishes served with it, but this is just the basic dish.

You can make this recipe spicy hot or mild, by varying the amount of hot chilies you add (some use chipotles and their adobo sauce), but it probably should have at least a little kick to it, so don't shy away from some minimal heat. You can use fresh tomatoes and fresh mild chilies (often pablano peppers are used), but it will then require a longer cooking time. Also you can just buy a jar of good chunky salsa in place of the vegetables. 

serves 6 to 8
1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, with their juice (I used Hunts Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes)
1-4 oz. can diced green chilies, mild (there are many brand names)
2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1/2 small white onion, diced
corn tortillas (can use flour tortillas)
6 to 8 large eggs
1 inch piece of serrano chili pepper, chopped (I included seeds)
hot pepper cheese (I used Belgioioso Peperoncino Asiago)
about 2 tablespoons of olive oil total

To a sauce pan add about a teaspoon of olive oil and the onion. Cook for just a couple of minutes, until the onion softens, add the tomatoes and their juice, the green chilies (drained, if using canned), the chili powder, the serrano pepper (or whatever hot chili pepper you prefer). Keep the heat low enough that the mixture doesn't stick and burn, and stir it often. When the mixture is hot, this step is done. Coat each tortilla with a little olive oil, place a couple at a time in skillet, and let them soften, turning once to get both sides (if you like especially crisp tortillas, which I don't recommend for this dish, naturally you will have to heat them further). Keep the tortillas on a warm plate and cover. In the skillet, add a little more olive oil and fry the eggs, keeping each egg separate. The yokes should not be cooked through, unless you do not feel comfortable eating eggs with runny yokes. Now place a tortilla on a plate, top it with some salsa mixture smoothed over the tortilla, add some small pieces of cheese, and you're ready to go. You can naturally use any number of eggs per serving, but I believe most recipes I've seen call for one egg per tortilla, and you don't want the huevos rancheros police to get you!

I used two eggs for myself, but when I put the eggs on top, the one yoke broke open, as you can see. That's what I get for not using one egg per tortilla!  Hahahaha!

WORD HISTORY:
Ovum-This word, related to both modern English "egg," and the former English word for egg, "ey(e)," but not all that commonly used outside the scientific community, goes back to Indo European "owo/owyo/awyo," which meant "egg." This gave Latin "ovum," which was borrowed into English circa 1700.