Frijoles Negros con Huevos

This tasty concoction from south of the border is a variation on the classic Mexican breakfast meal, huevos rancheros ("ranch eggs" in Spanish). Traditional huevos rancheros use refried beans, not the black beans we're using here, but this dish is a real winner anyway.

I am engaged, by the way, in a quest to find the best recipe for huevos rancheros that I can successfully make at home. Eventually, we'll give you the result of that quest here on Bean Lovers. Oh, one more thing you might want to know: "huevos" is pronounced "WAY-vos" with a long "o."

• 2 Tablespoons butter, margarine, lard, or oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• Fresh hot peppers, diced, to taste
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
• 4 eggs
• A couple of dashes of either powdered cayenne or paprika

Heat the fat until it melts. Add the peppers and onions and sauté until just tender. Add beans and tomatoes, mix well, and heat through. Place in 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan. Create 4 hollows in the corners of the beans. Break an egg into each hollow. Sprinkle cayenne or paprika over the eggs for a bit of color. Place pan in a 350-degree oven for about 1/2 hour, until the eggs are cooked to your taste.

For a truly southwestern presentation, lightly brown a large flour tortilla, place the tortilla on a plate, then carefully lift out a fourth of the beans including the unbroken egg with a spatula and place it on the tortilla. You could also just warm up the tortilla if you're in a hurry. Serve with salsa. Or, if southwestern is not your objective, serve with grits or corn bread.

Copyright © 2001 Richard Mann. All rights reserved. Please contact the author at algernon@suite101.com for permission to use this article (includes reprints in mailing lists, newsletters, and/or any other purpose/format) and give details of its proposed use. Any and all use of this article in any way without permission is prohibited under copyright law. Acceptable use: Please feel free to link to this page.

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