Lindsey Nair

Features staff writer Lindsey writes about food, restaurants and recipes.

Recent columns

• How fresh is that food in your fridge? Depends.
• Summer of growth
• Beef, dissected
• Parents, think outside the (lunch)box

Recipes

• Use Your Noodle Salad
• Baked Crispy Chicken Fingers

• Recipe archive

Serves 6

For the Ranchero Sauce:

1/2 lb. sliced bacon
6 medium plum tomatoes
2 red bell peppers
2 poblano chiles
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo
4 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt

For the rest:

Canola oil, for frying
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups frijoles refritos (refried beans), warmed
12 thin slices serrano or any other type of ham
1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) Chihuahua or Monterey Jack cheese, grated
12 large eggs
2 cups (8 oz.) queso fresco, crumbled
2 firm, ripe avocados, peeled and diced
Pico de gallo or salsa for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place bacon slices in single layer on a sheet pan and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, drain on paper towels and chop into pieces. Leave the oven on.

3. On a baking sheet, roast whole tomatoes until the skins blister, about 10 minutes. Remove, coarsely chop and set aside.

4. Roast the bell peppers and poblano chiles under the broiler until the skins begin to blister and turn black. Use tongs to turn them so they get charred all over. Transfer them to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap until completely cooled. Carefully scrape off skin, remove stem, seeds and membranes and dice.

5. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add two Tbsp. oil and onion and saute until lightly browned, three to four minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for one minute more. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes before adding roasted tomatoes, chipotles and chicken stock. Simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Add the chopped bacon and roasted diced peppers to the finished tomato sauce, season to taste with salt and keep hot.

7. In a large skillet, heat oil. Add tortillas, one at a time, and fry until pliable, about 1 minute per side. Remove from the pan, drain on paper towels and continue with the remaining tortillas. Wipe out the skillet with paper towels.

8. Spoon 1/4 cup of refried beans in the center of each of six plates. Place one tortilla on top of the beans and top with two slices of ham and 1/4 cup grated Chihuahua or Monterey Jack.

9. In a skillet, immediately cook eggs sunny-side up, or just until the yolks are set. Top each tortilla with two eggs, then pour about 1/2 cup of the hot Ranchero sauce over the top. Sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco, a few pieces of avocado and some pico de gallo or salsa and serve immediately.

Source: “Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Fiesta Flavors at Home” by Scott Linquist and Joanna Pruess.