Huevos Rancheros

 

So it is Tax Day. Boo hoo. Mark and I timed our marriage date poorly because we tied the knot on April 14. So every anniversary is the day before Tax Day. Needless to say, we do not go all out on anniversary presents. Once again, boo hoo.

Last night, in celebration of our 22nd anniversary and to note the fact that we have no money because it is, yes, Tax Day, I made Huevos Rancheros, a traditional Mexican dish served as a mid-morning meal on poor farms. I have some mint and rosemary growing in a pot by the garage so I think that qualifies Casa de la Mayhew as a poor farm.

And because I was doing this on the cheap I used what I already had in the pantry and fridge. I would like to say that I settled on pureed lentils from a can of lentil soup instead of re-fried beans because the lentils are healthier. But that would be a lie. Mark wanted lentil soup when he was sick about a year ago and then he got well and he didn’t want it anymore. But with the addition of some ancho chile powder and cumin it made a fine stand-in for re-fried beans.

I would also like to point out the irony that my husband will never, ever order sunny-side-eggs for breakfast but he will happily eat one when I tell him the yolk makes a “sauce.” He’s so easily led.

Huevos Rancheros

For the pureed lentils:

1 19-ounce can lentil soup (Progresso), drained and pureed in a blender

½ teaspoon ancho chile powder

¼ teaspoon cumin

Salt to taste

Heat the puree in a saucepan after blending.

 

For the tomato sauce:

½ cup diced red onion

1 tablespoon chopped green chiles

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ cup red wine

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onions and chiles in 1 tablespoon of oil until they are translucent and beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes, cumin, paprika, red wine, salt and pepper and simmer until sauce thickens.

 

8 6-inch flour tortillas

4 eggs

Mexican melting cheese (or any cheese you have on hand), grated

Fry the tortillas in a dry pan until they are browned and crisped. Reserve.

Heat 1 teaspoon of butter in the same pan and fry the eggs.

To assemble: Place a tortilla on a plate. Top with the lentil puree and sprinkle with grated cheese. Add another tortilla and top with the tomato sauce and an egg.

Giada’s Italian-style grilled steak

So I am thumbing through my People magazine yesterday. I am devoted to People magazine, although it is starting to lose some of its luster because there are now way too many stories about ordinary people losing weight. I don’t want to read about ordinary folks in People magazine, especially if they are on a diet. I want to read about deranged celebrities trashing hotel rooms and the preparations for Prince William’s wedding.

However, I turn to page 103 and see right there a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis for rib-eye steaks with smoky arrabiata sauce. And it says that the recipe is one of the reasons Giada’s husband asked her to marry him. Really? Steak with what amounts to spaghetti sauce? Is that even a good idea?

But I trust Giada de Laurentiis. I have two of her cookbooks and she has never steered me wrong. In fact, a few of her recipes are now a regular part of my repertoire. I cannot live without her lemon spaghetti and her marinara sauce is the basis for my award-winning (at least in my house) spaghetti sauce.

It’s been cold and drizzly here and all of us in Middle Tennessee are slightly more than a  little depressed so I decided to splurge and get some steak and just see how well this recipe works out.

Oh, my God. I rarely invoke the Almighty’s name when it comes to food, but this steak and arrabiata sauce is unbelievably delicious! I mean we barely got some on a plate because we were so busy just dipping the slices of steak into the sauce pot. I just don’t know what else to say. It was that good.

The sauce recipe makes more sauce than you’ll need for the steak, unless you are tempted to just drink it (as we were). But the leftover sauce would be just dandy with some pasta or on a homemade pizza. Or chilled as a cocktail with a little vodka. OK. Maybe not the last one.

 

Giada’s Rib-Eye Steaks with Smoky Arrabiata Sauce

1 3-inch serrano pepper

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 tablespoon capers, drained, rinsed and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

2 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning

2 one-pound ribeye steaks, each about 1-inch thick

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Remove stem and half the seeds from pepper; coarsely chop. Pulse pepper and next 7 ingredients in a food processor until mixture is chunky. Bring tomato mixture to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes or until thickened. Salt to taste. Cover and keep warm.

Heat grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat or preheat grill to 350-400 degrees. Drizzle each side of steak with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill 5-6 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Cover steaks and let stand 5 minutes. Slice steaks across the grain into ¼-inch slices and serve with sauce.