Huevos Rancheros ~ Cloud Nine

The view out my bedroom window ~ Cloud Nine cottage.

Hands down my favorite breakfast is Huevos Rancheros. Growing up I was not a breakfast person. In fact, I am a night owl and therefore not a morning person either. As a child I convinced my parents that the only way I would eat in the morning was if I could have icing covered Pop-Tarts or Lucky Charms. As the baby in the family with teenage siblings, my parents were worn down and relented. Of course my older siblings were appalled.

In high school I spent a summer on Little Cayman SCUBA diving daily and studying Marine Biology with the School for Field Studies. It was life changing for me in a million different ways. Besides becoming an accomplished diver and learning a great deal about the fabulous marine treasures on the Bloody Bay Wall, I learned a lot about cooking. I had grown up on my father’s boats and well understood stocking the galley and cooking while out at sea. This particular summer I learned a lot about acquiring supplies when you live on a tiny tropical island without a store. Our fearless leaders were two Marine Biology professors from UC Santa Barbara and they taught us the ropes. A small airplane delivered supplies once a week, we ate conch, and tropical fruits. I learned to get milk out of a coconut with a screw driver and a mallet which was particularly fun.

The scary part came when I was told everyone had to take turns cooking and preparing dinner for the group. Luckily I had a partner in crime who shared cooking duties with me and I happily took the sous chef position. Our small kitchen was filled with sunburn divers in their bathing suits playing cards and yucking it up. The kitchen had a little book shelf with a few very worn paperback books. I read the Exorcist and our one cookbook that summer out of desperation for reading material. The cookbook was a paperback copy of The Joy of Cooking. I learned to make a mean Key Lime Pie with a crumb crust in that tiny rustic island kitchen. Our professors taught us to make Huevos Rancheros. I’ve never looked back to Lucky Charms again. (Cinnamon Pop-Tarts remain an occasional part of my diet!). I also have never owned a home that didn’t have a copy of the Joy of Cooking on the shelf!

Shockingly that was forty years ago. I still love this breakfast meal I first learned about so many years ago. My husband and I make a good Huevos Ranchero team. I do the grocery shopping and am the reigning chopping queen. Don is the short order cook and dishwasher. I also take assembling my own Huevos Rancheros very seriously.

These are two variations we had this week.

Ingredients:

  • 2 corn tortillas

  • Organic Refried beans from a can

  • “Rupert” cheese by Consider Bardwell Farm in West Pawlet, Vermont purchased at Mach’s

  • 2 fried Vermont farm eggs

  • Guac

  • Chopped parsley

  • Scallions

  • Red cabbage

  • Salsa verde from a jar

  • Red enchilada sauce from a can

  • Beets and onions from Mach’s Market in Pawlet, Vermont

    I would like to note on here that Mach’s Market is one of my favorite places to shop in Vermont. They carry a wonderful variety of gourmet foods and prepared meals. They are wonderful at stocking locally made goods and products.

Ingredients:

  • Corn tortilla

  • Melted Cabot mozzarella cheese

  • Scrambled Vermont farm eggs

  • Sauted vegetables - spinach, red pepper, shiitake mushrooms, red cabbage, scallions

  • Salsa from a jar

  • Salt and pepper

Tricia HeatonComment