Huevos Verdes - Eggs with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Our friends Elise and Tom recently asked for this recipe, so it seemed appropriate to make it for breakfast today and put it up on the blog.

Huevos Verdes all starts with really fresh eggs. We're lucky enough to get ours from the "Ramona Egg-Lady" at our local Farmer's Market. We like the extra-large free-range browns -- they're simply beautiful to look at and taste fantastic.

The "verde" in the recipe title comes from using roasted tomatillo salsa as a base for the sauce that goes over the eggs.



Fresh green tomatillos and spicy serrano chiles are cooked under the broiler until blackened and soft, and then blended up in the food processor. The tomatillos give the sauce a nice tangy base, and the chiles give it extra flavor and some heat.



We've had mixed experiences with the tortillas used for our standard huevos rancheros. Sometimes they're stiff and tricky to cut with a fork. We experimented for this recipe, and came up with the idea of putting a layer of melted cheese between two corn tortillas -- sort of a mini quesadilla under the eggs and sauce.



This morning, we finished things off with cumin spiced black beans and chunks of avocado. Perfecto!

Huevos Verdes

Serves 4.
1 recipe (approx. 2 cups) Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
1 (7 oz) can whole green chiles, rinsed and diced
1/2 cup chicken broth
8 corn tortillas
3/4 cup (3-4 oz) shredded jack, mozzarella or queso anejo cheese
8 large eggs
2 teaspoons butter
1 ripe avocado, diced (preferably Haas)
2 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Pour the Roasted Tomatillo Salsa into a small sauce pan. Add the diced green chiles and chicken broth and bring to a low simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt) if required.

Lightly oil a baking sheet. Place four tortillas on the sheet and top with about half of the cheese (about 1/2 oz on each). Place in the oven until the cheese just begins to melt, about 3-5 minutes. Top each with a second tortilla and sprinkle with a few drops of water. Return to the oven for another 3-5 minutes. Keep warm while cooking the eggs, but don't let the tortillas dry out.

Heat a 10-inch non-stick fry pan over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pan and add the eggs. After the whites begin to set, pour about 2 tablespoons water along the edge of the pan and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat and cook 1-2 minutes until the whites are set, but the yolks are still runny.

Place one tortilla stack on each of four warmed plates. Spoon a little sauce over the tortillas, then place two eggs on each. Top with about 1/3 cup sauce per plate and garnish with the extra cheese, avocado, tomato and cilantro.

Serve immediately with Cumin Black Beans along side. (Extra sauce can be refrigerated for up to one week.)

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Makes about 2 cups. Adapted from Mexico One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless.
1 pound (10 to 12 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
3 fresh hot green chiles (such as jalapeno or serrano)
10-12 sprigs fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (thick stems removed)
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the broiler. Place the tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet 4 inches below the hot broiler and roast about 5 minutes or until darkly roasted and blackened in spots. Turn them over and roast another 4 to 5 minutes. Tomatillos should be splotchy-black and softened. Cool slightly, then transfer tomatillos, 2 chiles and any juices to a blender or food processor. Add cilantro, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon salt then blend to a coarse puree. Taste. For more heat, add the extra chile and blend again. Scrape salsa into a bowl, add the onion and stir through. Taste, and adjust seasoning if desired. Salsa can be used as is, served with tortilla chips, or modified into an assortment of vibrant, flavorful sauces.

Cumin Black Beans

Serves 4 to 6.
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 canned, whole green chiles, rinsed and diced (optional)
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup water

Heat a saucepan over medium. Add olive oil, onion, garlic, salt and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally about 5 minutes or until onion has softened. Stir in green chiles (if using), beans, and water. Bring to a simmer. Using the back of a spoon, mash about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pan and stir them through. Keep warm until ready to serve. Taste for seasoning just before plating.