Huevos Con Chile (Eggs in Spicy Sauce)

Huevos con Chile, is usually scrambled eggs simmered in any type of spicy sauce that's based on chile peppers. (The sauce can vary greatly just use your favorite smooth spicy red or green or whatever salsa) my mother usually always has a glass bowl, or glass container filled with some sort of spicy salsa (usually tomato or tomatillo based, blended with certain types of chiles, garlic, onion etc.) we use this to prepare eggs in the morning, or to cook meats, etc. or as a condiment.

In Mexican Cuisine there's TONS of ways to prepare eggs. A lot of variations on scrambled eggs, different style's to serve them, etc. breakfast is typically some preparation of scrambled and or sauteed eggs that can be combined with an array of things, served on it's own with tortillas is the simplest way to serve. They can be accompanied by any combination of certain cheeses, creams, salsas or other sauces, refried beans, boiled beans, etc. and any beverage can be enjoyed (usually milk, coffee, shakes)

But that's not to say that's the only way breakfast is enjoyed, American style breakfast are popular (cereal, pancakes, waffles, etc.) or even more Spanish/ European style of breakfast as well (pastries and other sweets) served with coffee. It really all depends on preferance. It can be very varied.

At home I pretty much grew up eating all of the mentioned above, as well as the simple "fried eggs with rice", or Spanish potato omelettes (Tortilla Espanola) very common among Cubans.

Anyways back to this, my mother would usually make breakfast, so the breakfast I'm more used to is the typical Mexican breakfast of eggs prepared in a variety of ways with all the mentioned above. I tend to eat beans, eggs prepared someway, and tortilla in the morning, not only because it's delicious, but because it's super filling, nutritious, and on day's that I'm busy it's the only big strong meal I'll get (specially those day's that I'm in school all day)

Ingredients:
-1/4 of a big onion, finely minced
-4 eggs
-dash of milk
-salt to taste
-fresh ground black pepper
-1 cup homemade spicy salsa (see posts for some of these recipe click on link for Salsa de Chile Habanero, Salsa de Chile de Arbol, Salsa de Chile Verde, or any other spicy smooth thick salsa you like)

Directions:
(1) Heat oil in a medium sized pan (about 2 tablespoons more or less) over medium high heat, when oil is hot add minced onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sautee until slightly browned on the edges and caramelized)
(2) Meanwhile beat eggs with a dash or milk, and a couple pinches of salt, set aside.

(3) When onions have become slightly browned on the edges (not all of them just you know cooked),
add beaten eggs, stir in, and allow to cook (like making scrambled eggs)
(4) When eggs are cooked, add the salsa,
bring to a boil, gently fold or destribute it, if it seems too thick add a little bit of water (I usually add 1/2 cup depending how thick or thin you want the sauce). Bring to a boil for 3-5 minutes to allow flavors to infuse.
(5) Turn off heat, if you want to add some freshness add minced cilantro if not that's okay.
(6) You can serve it with corn tortillas, in a shallow bowl and it's ready to eat. You can enjoy it with other sides if you want to, like beans, or refried beans, sour cream, sometype of cheese it's up to you. Any beverage works too, coffee, milk, tea, shakes whatever you like in the morning.
PLEASE NOTE:
*This can be extremely spicy for some people if your not used to eating chile peppers and stuff like that. So prepare with caution ha ha.
*For those who know what "Salsa Pato" is (it's a type of canned spicy chile sauce sold in a can, think of it as spicy canned tomato sauce), if you'd like you could use 1 can of salsa pato, with 1 can of water to prepare it, it will be very very delicious like that as well.

Huevos Rancheros (Mexican Ranch Style Eggs?)

Don't know a proper english translation but it's basically scrambled eggs with minced tomato, onion, chili pepper, seasoned with salt and pepper, topped with cilantro

My mother say's there are several versions of "Huevos Rancheros" depending where your from in Mexico, your preference, etc. she say's some cooks will sautee the tomato, chile pepper, and cilantro with salt and pepper then set aside on a plate, then fry a tortilla place on top, then cook the eggs however they prefer and place on top like a layer thing, etc.

Ingredients:
-6 eggs (beaten with a small splash of milk)
-1/2 onion minced
-1 green chile pepper minced (we use Serrano or Jalapeño)
-1 small roma tomato minced (or 1/2 a big tomato)
-salt and pepper to taste
-1/2 a bunch more or less to taste of minced cilantro leaves (washed of course)
-oil to cook (whatever you want traditionally lard is used, my mom likes to use olive oil for most things though you can use any neutral flavored oil to)

Directions:
(1)Heat a pan on medium high heat with oil or lard, when oil is hot enough add minced onion and chili pepper, sautee until onions are lightly caramelized and a bit translucent (shouldn't take forever maybe 10 minutes at MOST)

(2)Add roma tomato and continue to cook until tomato releases juices and cooks down a bit (a couple minutes) season with salt and pepper to taste.

(3)Add beaten eggs swoosh around to mix, let it as the egg cooks from edges just slide it with spatula so raw egg can flow and cook, cook until eggs are fully cooked, you can add more salt and pepper to taste if you want but usually my mom heavely adds it prior to adding eggs so the sautee is salty enough to flavor eggs.

(4)Now turn off heat and top with minced cilantro.

(5)Serve however you'd like, there's no rules to how to enjoy it :) traditionally though maybe some corn tortillas, refried beans, hot sauces on the side, and a hot coffee with milk. I wasn't to hungry so I just ate a little with 2 tortillas and a glass of milk.

NOTE:
-My mother told me some people like to add chunks of red bell pepper to this, etc her preference is not to do that.

Huevos Con Longaniza (Eggs with "Longaniza"?)

This is a very simple Mexican egg scramble with "longaniza", onion, garlic, and chili pepper seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.

Mexican pork longaniza is simply called "Longaniza de Puerco" is a type of sausage that is fresh, and can be removed from casing and crumbled I am not sure what it is seasoned with but I believe it has dried "Chile California" maybe cumin, allspice, pepper, etc. not so sure. My aunt who is from Mexico knows how to make this type of sausage from scratch. I'll have to ask to her and make some., she makes the filling and just uses it as needed in certain dishes.

The Mexican "Longaniza" is not the same as the "Mexican Chorizo", the Longaniza is more heavely seasoned, the chorizo is a more pale color and is very very fresh (if you get it at the right places and are observant of what you get) it is also more greasy.

Mexican Chorizo get's a bad reputation for being "overly" greasy, I must say it really depends what brand you buy, and where you buy it, the one I buy is from "Vallarta" (a chain of of stores that sells mostly Latin, Central, and South American products, it cater's mostly to Mexicans) at that store I can find the chorizo fresh, it's not branded I don't know if they make it on site but they have these huge ropes they cut off of when you ask for Chorizo at the deli & creamerie within the store.

A lot of the pre-packaged brands are kinda gross to me, they are toooo greasy, runny, fall apart easily etc. and overly salted, if you are using a pre-packaged one that is like that, be sure that when you fry it in the oil to drain some of the fat.

Ingredients:
-6 eggs
-1 Mexican Pork Longaniza
-1/2 onion minced
-2 cloves garlic minced (optional)
-1 green chili pepper, serrano or jalapeño pepper is what we use (optional)
-salt to taste
-black pepper to taste
-oil for cooking

Directions:
(1)Beat eggs with some salt and pepper (if you wish you can add a small splash of whole milk),

(2)Heat a little bit of oil on medium high heat, remove casing from chorizo and sautee until lightly browned and it renders a bit of fat. (the one I used was pretty lean), now add onion, chili pepper, until onions are a bit translucent (maybe 5 minutes?), when they are add garlic, stir until fragrant (1 minute or so) then add beaten eggs and slide with a spatula, kind of like making a tortilla when it curdles and get's firmer flip in sections until cooked and your done.

(3)Serve with whatever sides you want (like I said typically refried beans, cream or fresh cheese, some type of salsa, and corn tortillas) or you can use it as a filling for corn tortillas to make "Tacos" also you can make a "breakfast burrito" by using it as a filling for a Burrito (made with a big flour tortilla)

PLEASE NOTE:
-This can be made using Mexican chorizo in place of "longaniza" you can prepare refried beans with Mexican chorizo or longaniza, just use lard in place of oil, skip the garlic, chili pepper, and black pepper and fry the chorizo or longaniza and add onion then mash in the beans.

-Here is the basic refried bean recipe:

http://nathanscomida.blogspot.com/2008/12/frijoles-pintos-fritos-refried-pinto.html

Bolillo Con Cajeta (Bread Roll with "Cajeta")

Again super simple, didn't know if worth a post, even though this is simple and a no brainer it's something some might have not been introduced to or familiar with, so here I will share this humble simple sweet treat I enjoy :)

Cajeta (pronounced ka-hé-ta) is a thick caramel syrup made from either cow's milk or goats milk. The best and most favored Cajeta among many Mexicans is the one made with goat's milk, sugar, and dry white wine reffered to as "Cajeta Envinada" and somewhere on the bottle it will say 100% goat milk and or it should be the first and ingredient and only type of milk on the label. It is delicious and typically enjoyed spread on a "Bolillo" roll which is the Mexican version of french bread and is medium in size. It is one of my favorite bread for all purpose everything (bread puddings, sandwiches, with food, etc.) The popular brand where I live and in many parts of Mexico is called "CoronadFor any reader's living in area's with stores that cater to Mexicans and other Latino/ Hispanics I suggest you check out "Cajeta" and take advantage of the oppurtinity to enjoy fresh Bolillo rolls (since most stores here have fresh baked Bolillos available constantly) you will sometimes find the "Cajeta" near the creameries or butcheries within the stores.

Ingredients for 1 serving:
-1 Bolillo (if you can't find Bolillo I guess you can use baguette or other soft french bread or variety of white bread you like)
-1/4-1/2 cup cajeta (to spread)

Serve with any 1 of the following:
-hot chocolate
-hot coffee
-glass of cold or warm milk

Directions:
(1)Cut the bolillo roll in half all the way or not all the way it's your choice, if the bread is not hot and fresh than lightly toast it on a griddle, and press lightly.

(2)Get your cajeta and spread generously as much as you like on both sides or just one. It is your choice. I like cut my bread in half all the way and slather in both sides. Other people like to spread on one side only and use the other side to close it as a sandwich your choice. I'm a glutton I put tons of the sugary caramel syrup on both slices and don;t sandwich so I can fit more caramel sauce ha ha. Plus I leave a spoon with caramel sauce on the side to eat the caramel straight after indulging.

(3)Serve with a glass of cold or warm milk, or if desired accompanied my hot coffee or hot chocolate. This is typically consumed in the morning for breakfast or around night time a bit before going to bed and also it can be consumed anytime of the day as a snack. (I was sinful when I was eating and making this it was almost midnight)

P.S. another way I enjoy Bolillo rolls with sweet fillings is layering sliced ripe banana cut into rounds, then drizzling copious amounts of sweetened condensed milk (Leche Condensada)

Oh yeah and tomorrow I will be posting some time at night or maybe Monday day my mother's "Pozole" recipe (a Mexican stew with lots of cuts of pork and hominy)

Chilaquiles (Tortilla Based Breakfast Dish)

"Chilaqiules" are a dish popular for breakfast. It is strips of tortilla, deep fried, then simmered in a "Chili Colorado" type sauce until thickened topped with a mixture of fresh cheese, oregano, and onion. Served with Refried Beans and Eggs on the side.
It is important to deep fry the tortilla strips, because if you don't they dissolve in the boiling sauce plus the deep fried still gives it a bit and maintains some type of texture.
For really LAZY people or people who are in a hurry you can skip the deep frying the strips and just use prepackaged "Tostadas" and tear them into segments or use tortilla chips.
Before I begin I posted this to show a nice lady who's myspace name is "Precious" how to make some good "Chilaquiles" since she wanted to know :) So here you go "Precious" I told you I was gonna show it to you and I kept my word hope it turns out good for you to.

Ingredients for Sauce
-6 dried "Chile Guajillos" (if you want it spicy) or 6 dried "Chile California" (if you want it really mild or not spicy at all)
-4 roma tomatoes
-Water
-2 cloves garlic peeled
-About 1 teaspoon salt and probably more to taste later
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-½ teaspoon ground cloves or you can grind them in a spice grinder
-1 teaspoon black pepper ground

Ingredients for Fresh Cheese topping
-½ pound or more Fresh Mexican Cheese crumbled (I use the one from "Los Altos" brand that is sold fresh in the creameries)
-1-2 teaspoons dried oregano crumbled well with hand
-¼ onion finely minced.
Ingredients for rest of recipe:
-9-11 corn tortillas cut in half then into strips
-Oil to deep fry
-¼ onion minced

Directions for sauce:
(1)Cut the tops of the dried chilies, open in half and remove seeds and veins.

(2)Put dried chilies in a small pot along with tomatoes and salt. Cover with enough water to submerge a little not a lot. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes then let it rest 20 minutes in water.

(3)Put the boiled stuff along with the liquid in a blender along with 2 cloves garlic and blend until liquefied.

(4)Strain it through a strainer and press and move the strained content to try to get as much sauce out of it as possible you can even add a little water to the strained stuff to get the most you can through.

(5)Add the cumin, cloves, and pepper then set aside.

Directions for Cheese Topping:
(1)Crumble the cheese, add oregano, add minced onion and mix well


Directions for rest of it:
(1)Deep fry the strips of tortilla in batches, then set aside in a plate with paper towels or a big dish





(2)Pour out almost all oil then in a large pan heat a little bit of oil, sautee onion until translucent and really fragrant.

(3)Pour in sauce and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.

(4)Taste it and add more salt if necessary, if the sauce is bland at this point and you don't salt it IT WILL RUIN YOUR WHOLE DISH BECAUSE WHEN YOU ADD THE STRIPS OF DEEP FRIED TORTILLA IT ABSORBS A LOT OF THE SAUCE SO IT WILL BE BLAND NO MATTER HOW MUCH SALT YOU ADD LATER.

(5)Add tortilla strips and fold in gently until sauce starts to thicken and it absorbs some sauce, turn of heat your done.



(6)Serve with refried beans, and eggs on the side with the "Chilaquiles in the middle and maybe a tall glass of milk.