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Huevos Rancheros Recipe Below

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Each ingredient and stage of the cooking process is illustrated with a clear color photograph, and the striking, simple design will encourage anyone who lacks confidence at cooking to have a go at producing nutritious, home-cooked food for their family and friends. Every step is clearly explained, with no prior knowledge taken for granted. Even common terms such as 'finely chopped' are explained in an illustrated glossary. More...

Full English Breakfast Spread

Cinnamon Rolls Spread

Huevos Rancheros
(Mexican spiced beans with eggs)

Start the day with some spice with this brilliantly healthy and filling vegetarian breakfast dish. If you like your eggs with cheese, sprinkle a handful of grated Monterey Jack over the top before broiling at the end of step 5, to melt while the eggs finish cooking.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 2 (easily doubled)

INGREDIENTS
- 1 onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 green chile
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 CC vegetable or sunflower oil
- 1 small brunch fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chipotle paste
- 1 (14 1/2 - oz) can pinto beans, drained
- 1 (14 1/2 - oz) can chopped tomatoes
- 2 large eggs
- salt and pepper
- soft flour tortillas to serve (optional)

*Chipotle paste gives the beans a sweet, smoky, rounded flavor, if you can’t find it, add 1 teaspoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika instead.

1. Halve and slice the onion. Seed and chop the red pepper into chunky pieces. Slice the chile (leave the seeds in if you like it hot), and crush the garlic. Heat a medium ovenproof frying pan over low heat, then add the oil. After 30 seconds, add the vegetables and stir well.

2. Cook the vegetables gently for 10 minutes, or until softened.

3. While the vegetables soften, finely chop the cilantro stalks. Stir the stalks and the cumin into the pan, then cook for another 3 minutes, until it smells fragrant. Stir the tomatoes, chipotle paste, and pinto beans into the pan, then simmer for 5 minutes, or until the tomato juices have thickened a little. Season with salt and pepper. Preheat the broiler.

4. Crack an egg into a small cup. Use a spoon to make 2 hollows in the beans, then slide the egg into one of them. Repeat with the second egg.

5. Cover the pan with a lid, then cook gently for 5 minutes, until the eggs are cooked underneath, but still a little wobbly on the top. To finish cooking the tops of the eggs, put the pan under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, depending on how you like them.

6. To serve the dish, roughly chop the cilantro leaves and sprinkle them over the pan. Serve with warmed flour tortillas.*

*Warming tortillas: Soft flour tortillas are available in most grocery stores. To warm them, either give them a quick blast in the microwave, or wrap them in foil and heat in the oven at 350°F for 10 minutes.

Copyright © 2010 by Jane Hornby. Reprinted from What to Cook and How to Cook It with permission from Phaidon Press.

Jane Hornby

I’ve cooked for as long as I can remember, and decided to make things official with food by training at Leith’s School of Food and Wine in 2003. After graduating I fulfilled a life-long dream and joined the team at BBC Good Food. There I spent six happy years writing, food styling, editing and working with some of the country’s top chefs, as well as editing seven of the BBC Books ‘101’ series.

In 2009 I moved on to pastures new and have since been busily putting together my first cook book, What to Cook and How to Cook It, and writing and food styling for BBC Good Food and Olive.

To purchase What to Cook and How to Cook It click here.

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