Huevos Rancheros

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 15-ounce can whole or crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted, or 1 -2 large fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, when in season
• 1/2 6-ounce can diced green Anaheim chiles
• Chipotle chili powder, adobo sauce, or ground cumin to taste, optional
• 4 corn tortillas
• Butter
• 4 fresh eggs
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped, optional

Directions

1. Start with the sauce: warm a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then cook the onions until they turn translucent. Add the tomatoes along with their juices. If you are using whole canned tomatoes, crush them with your fingers or a spatula as they go into the skillet.
2. If you are using fresh tomatoes, chop them before adding them to the pan. Fresh tomatoes need a bit more time than canned ones, since canned tomatoes have already been cooked.
3. Stir in the chopped green chilies. Season the sauce to taste with extra chili, using chipotle chili powder, adobo sauce, regular chili powder, or even ground cumin.
4. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, turn the heat down to low, and leave it to bubble softly while you handle the rest of the recipe, stirring now and then. After it has simmered for 10 minutes, lower the heat to warm. Taste and add salt if it needs it.
5. Warm the plates: set the oven to a warm 150 degrees F, then put the serving plates inside so they stay warm.
6. Warm the tortillas: pour a teaspoon of olive oil into a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat, tilting the pan so the oil coats the surface.
7. Heat the tortillas in the skillet one by one, or cook more at a time if your skillet has room. Let each tortilla warm for a minute or two per side, until it is hot, softened, and little air pockets puff up inside.
8. Transfer the warmed tortillas to one of the plates in the oven and stack them there while you finish the remaining tortillas and cook the eggs.
9. Cook the eggs: use the same skillet you used for the tortillas, adding a little butter to the pan, about two teaspoons for 4 eggs. Set the skillet over medium high heat. Crack 4 eggs into the pan and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes if you want runny yolks, or longer if you prefer them firmer.
10. Assemble and serve: spoon some sauce onto a warm plate. Add a tortilla, place a fried egg on top, then spoon over more sauce and finish with cilantro if you’d like.
11. Serve one or two eggs/tortillas on each plate, depending on your appetite. A 2-egg 2 tortilla plate is a very respectable choice.