All, Breakfast & Brunch, Piggy, Put An Egg On It

Chorizo Quesadilla Huevos Rancheros

April 30, 2014

Cheese. Queso Oaxaca, to be more specific. Also known as “Mexican melting cheese”. It’s a cross between a Monterey Jack and Mozzarella. It’s a little salty, stringy, and melts so graciously. When living in Toronto, I was deprived of some authentic Mexican products. Here, in Uhhmerica, basically every grocery store has a very extensive Mexican/Hispanic section. Whether these items are actually authentic is a different story. They look and taste pretty immi to me. Do not take that aisle for granted.

Mexican Chorizo. Roll that “r”, friend. After cutting off a metal fastener from one end, you squeeze the sticky, porky, (almost neon) orange meat out of it’s plastic casing like a tube of toothpaste. With a bit of love, and a lot of wrist power, the pasty pork product crumbles and caramelizes in a hot pan. The stuff inside is completely over-spiced and sweats out enough oil to deep fry afterwards. It’s almost magical.

And lastly, Cholula. Comes in very close second to Frank’s in my books. That’s saying a lot. I would drink Frank’s Red Hot if it wouldn’t give me excruciating heart burn. Hot, but not too hot, and almost garlicky. Drown your food in this.

Chorizo Quesadilla Huevos Rancheros
w/ refried beans & corn guacamole
makes 4 servings

For the refried beans:

1 1/2 Tbsp grapeseed oil, or any other neutral oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp corriander

pinch cayenne

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1 15oz can black beans, drained

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

For the guacamole:

2 ripe avocados

1/3 cup canned whole kernel corn

juice from 1-2 limes

zest from 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

pinch cayenne

For the chorizo dillas huevos rancheros:

4 flour tortillas

3 links Mexican chorizo

1 cup Mexican melting cheese (just Monterey Jack if you can’t find this), shredded if not already

4 eggs, fried over easy

1/2 cup tomatillo salsa – good quality store bought

Cilantro, chopped for garnish

Cholula Hot Sauce

For the refried beans: In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil and sweat the onions until translucent. About 4 minutes. Add all the spices and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute to release the oils from the spices.

Add the beans and continue cooking for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, season with salt and pepper, and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 6-7 minutes until the liquid have reduced.

Turn off the heat and let cool slightly.Transfer half the mixture to a blender and puree until it turns to a coarse paste. You can also use an immersion blender if you have one.

Add the paste back into the pan and combine with the whole beans. Keep warm.

For the guacamole: Add all the ingredients into a bowl. Mash and mix. TASTE FOR SEASONING!

For the dillas & plating: Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high. Squeeze the chorizo meat out of its casing and crumble into the pan. Use a wooden spoon to break it up. Cook for about 8 minutes until the chorizo is a deep red-orange and begins to caramelize around the sides.

Construct the dillas by placing the cooked chorizo on half of one side of the flour tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese over top of the chorizo and fold the tortillas in half.

Heat a large skillet, or flat top, over medium heat. Add a bit of oil so the tortillas crisp up nicely. Fry the quesadillas for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown and melty inside. Cut each quesadilla into 4.

Plate the refried beans then place quesadillas on top. Plate some guacamole on the side. Dollop the dillas with some tomatillo salsa, top with fried egg, garnish with cilantro, and a generous amount of Cholula.

Enjoy w/ a Cerveza!

DANI’S NOTES

I try to use the word immi at least once every other post.
Dilla, short for quesadilla, is not a real word, but I like it.
Funny: This dish pretty much looks like the Mexican flag. Not done intentionally.
This is a fantastic brunch recipe.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!