Domesticity Nouveau

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Breakfast Fiesta!

Having breakfast for dinner is a favorite for many people.  I am, however, not one of them.  My husband on the other hand, would probably eat breakfast for every meal if given the opportunity.

One of our compromises on this matter is Mexican breakfast dinners.  Huevos Rancheros and Breakfast Enchiladas are two of our favorites.  To my husband, they count as breakfast because of the eggs.  For me, they work as dinner because of the hot and spicy.  Either way, we both have happy bellies!

Finding good enchilada sauce was a challenge, even before having to be gluten free.  Finding enchilada sauce that didn't break the bank complicated matters.  Finally, though, after much research, I think I am on the right track and have a recipe that is close to the restaurant experience, at a fraction of the price!

Rolling enchiladas, removing them from the pan and having them stay rolled has been another obstacle in my quest for perfection of el corazon de casa (la cocina)!  To that end, I have simply decided to stop fighting the corn tortillas and make enchilada casserole instead.  Same great taste without the battle... and less mess!  (Tortillas 1, Domesticity Nouveau 0)

Enchilada Breakfast Casserole

1 recipe of Enchilada Sauce (below)
12 corn tortillas
8 eggs
1-2 medium russet potatoes, diced
1 red, green, yellow, or orange sweet pepper, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Any other veggies or meat you want to toss in (great for using up leftovers)
Shredded Cheese of choice (maybe cheddar or monterey jack or Farmer's Cheese)

Make enchilada sauce and pour a cup or so into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.  Place a single layer of tortillas on top, breaking in 1/2's and 1/4's as needed to fill in the gaps.  Smooth a small amount of sauce on top of tortilla layer.

In a frying pan over medium to medium-high heat, saute the potatoes, peppers, and onions in olive oil until the potatoes are browned on the outside and soft on the inside.  How long this takes depends on the size you diced everything, but figure about 10-20minutes-ish.  Salt & pepper to taste.

Spread the veggie and potato mix over the 1st layer of tortillas.

Scramble the eggs, and cook until just done, maybe a little underdone as they will finish in the oven.  Place eggs on top of the potato mix. Salt & pepper to taste.

Cover the eggs and potatoes with a 2nd layer of tortillas.  Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly on top.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until the whole thing is bubbly gooey perfection.  Let sit for a few minutes so you don't burn your tongue!  Slice, serve, enjoy.

***Notes***  You can make this an even easier dish to prepare by using packaged o'brien potato mix from the freezer section.  (If you need to be gluten-free, make sure to read the ingredients as it might have some sort of dusting on it to keep everything from clumping together.)  There are so many possibilities on ways to customize this recipe for your liking... sweet potatoes instead of russets, mushrooms, olives, sausage, soyrizo, canned beans, cilantro, taco seasoning, left over asparagus, ham or bacon (like there is ever leftover bacon!)... you get the idea.

Enchilada Sauce

2 Tbsp Olive oil, or canola, or butter, or whatever is your oil of choice
2 Tbsp tapioca flour (or regular flour if you don't need to avoid gluten)
5 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sea salt
6 oz tomato paste (small can)
2 1/2 - 3 cups water or chicken broth
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar (optional)

Make a roux by browning the flour and oil over medium heat.  Turn heat to medium-low and add spices and tomato paste, smooshing together until combined.  Stir in a small amount of water (about 3/4 cup), until smooth.  Slowly add remaining water until well combined.  (I use an immersion blender, because it is fast and I am a lazy cook!)  Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings if you would like.

Huevos Rancheros

28 oz can tomato sauce or 2 pint jars homemade tomato sauce
1 medium jalapeno, seeds and veins removed, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green or red pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Dash of green tabasco
Salt & pepper to taste
6 eggs
6 corn tortillas
Oil to fry tortillas

In a large frying pan with straight sides and a good fitting lid, mix tomato sauce with jalapeno, onion, pepper, garlic, oregano, salt & pepper.  Bring to a low simmer and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

In a small frying pan, heat oil over medium high heat until it starts to shimmer.  Quickly place one tortilla in oil and flip after about 30 seconds.  Continue to fry until crisp, drain on paper towels.  Repeat for all tortillas.  You can save the oil in the fridge, once it has cooled, and use it again for your next round of tortilla frying.

Or... you can brush or spray oil onto each tortillas front and back and broil in the oven until crisp.  About 2-3 minutes... don't forget to raise the oven rack close to the broiler.

When tortillas are crisp and sauce has simmered, turn the heat down to medium-low until there is hardly a simmer in the sauce.  (Simmering will break your eggs when you poach them in the sauce and there will be plenty of heat to carry through the cooking.)

Break an egg into a custard cup or short glass, keeping it whole.  Make a little well in the sauce and pour the egg into the hole.  Quickly repeat with remaining eggs and then place the lid on the pan.  Cook for about 2-4 minutes and then carefully lift each egg from the sauce and place on a tortilla.  When all eggs are out, spoon remaining sauce over the eggs.  You can serve as is, or as we do, with Better Re-Fried Beans or Cheater Beans.

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