Huevos Rancheros

When Lowell is up to stay we very much favour the concept of brunch. The best brunch is occasioned by good reasons for getting up late and Radio 4 is at its best mid-morning anyway.

Salsa

1 can good quality tomatoes

3 green chillies

½ small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tbsp oil

½ tsp salt

2 corn tortillas (thick ones if you have a choice)

4 large eggs (free range organic if you love him)

Salt & pepper

2 tbsp Queso Fresca – I’m substituting this for Feta Cheese, crumbled

Chopped parsley to garnish

Huevos Rancheros means “Ranch Eggs” – as we don’t have ranches in Europe, I can’t help thinking that a recipe called “Farmhouse Eggs” would be rather different from this Mexican classic.

You can probably work out the salsa recipe from the ingredients. Just as well if you’re making this in the morning. Using decent tomatoes like Cirio brand, means you don’t spend ages reducing the liquid down. Fry the onions, garlic and chilli. Add the tomatoes and salt. You end up with a thick, but not too smooth sauce.

This is all from a Mexican cookbook my brother gave me. Thanks Bro! Use a wide frying pan.

Warm the tortillas in a dry frying pan – this will dry them out a little which is what we need. Then add a little oil to the frying pan and fry the tortillas briefly – just 3 seconds each side. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. Heat the salsa.

Break the eggs into a frying pan. I’m not using free range organic just because I want to be nice – they really do taste so much better. Cook until the whites are set and the yolks are cooked but soft.

Put a tortilla on each plate and top with two eggs and then the salsa, covering the whites and leaving the yolks exposed.

Sprinkle over the crumbled cheese and parsley. Both Lowell and I are coffee fiends so we serve with plenty. We will easily manage three cups each.

Not Mexican, but last Summer when I was in Malawi and Lowell was in Ethiopia, the breakfast buffet for both of us included sliced cucumber, avocado and tomato. A side plate of these would work.

Brunch should be relaxed, for leisurely conversation and much laughter. The afternoon and London’s museums beckon.