Salsa Fresca & Huevos Rancheros

I made this Mexican egg breakfast dish shortly after the Super Bowl. Why, you ask? Because we had extra black beans leftover from a turkey chili. I had soaked a combination of black beans and pinto beans for a chili but I'm not very good at anticipating how many beans I will need after they've soaked. After the soak we realized there were too many beans (per usual). So half of the beans went into the chili and the other half went into the fridge for a later date.

Then I realized huevos rancheros with salsa fresca would be delightful!
   Huevos rancheros is composed of fried eggs served with fried corn tortillas, a tomato-chili sauce; beans, rice, or guacamole are common accompaniments.
   Salsa fresca, also known as pico de gallo, is a fresh, uncooked condiment composed of tomato, onion, and chili peppers; avocado, lime juice, or cilantro may also be added.

I picked up things for the salsa fresca at the store during the week (Patrick had gotten an avocado for the Super Bowl too) and we were all set when the weekend rolled around!

Here's what we did!

For the Salsa Fresca
Combine in a food processor:
   3 roma tomatoes, quartered
   2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
   half red onion, quartered
   2 cloves garlic
   juice of half a lime
   salt and pepper



Process until desired consistency is reached. Like so...
We got it fairly pureed but still visible chunks were present in the salsa.

For the Beans

   Saute one diced medium onion in a medium saucepan with extra virgin olive oil until translucent. Add 2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup soaked beans, bring to a boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until beans are tender. 

While the beans are simmering prepare eggs (we cooked to over-medium).

To Assemble the Huevos Rancheros

   Begin the dish with a base of the black beans. Then add a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and the fried egg. Top with sliced avocado and the salsa fresca. 

   I opted to omit the corn tortillas because I wasn't sure that we'd use a whole bag of tortillas and didn't want to waste them. Patrick still wanted a bit of crunch and added Beanitos chips to his dish.

The surplus salsa kept in the fridge for chips the following week.
I can't wait to have a "salsa" garden -- roma tomatoes, jalapenos, and onions!