Beans Rancheros

What do I like to do with eggs? Top them on everything! I realized that when Caroline over at Serious Eats posed the question for this week's Weekend Cook and Tell: Egg-ventures.

Previously, I have topped them on asparagus (Roasted Asparagus and Eggs), baked feta (Poached Eggs with Baked Feta and Olives) and even pepper stew (Tomato-Pepper Stew with Poached Eggs and Harissa). So when I saw Mark Bittman's Beans Rancheros in his new book The Food Matters Cookbook, I knew I'd have to make it.

The presentation of this dish is really great! I love the way the cooked eggs are sitting on top of the beans. I found it relatively easy to divide into four and lift each section out onto a plate by itself (or tupperware for lunch leftovers). I was careful and none of the yolks broke (even when heating up the leftovers). But what is neat is that you just mush the egg up a bit and mix it around on the plate and then you can use it as a filling for tacos. I heated up some corn tortillas and put some of the beans rancheros in there and then topped with a bit of diced onion, shredded cheddar and salsa. Yum! And healthy too.

See other fun things to do with eggs as the Serious Eats Weekend Cook and Tell Roundup: Egg-ventures.

Beans Rancheros Makes 4 servings 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cups cooked or canned pinto or black beans, drained 1 or 2 canned chipotle chiles, minced, with some of the adobo sauce 1 teaspoon cumin Salt and black pepper 2 or 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped 4 eggs 1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish Lime wedges, for serving

Heat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch square baking dish or oven proof skillet with oil. Add the beans, chipotles and adobo, cumin, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper and roughly mash the mixture with a potato masher or fork. Stir in the tomatoes and transfer the pan to the oven.

Bake until he mixture is hot, bubbly, and some of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. (The dish can be prepared ahead to this point and refrigerated for up to a day; bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

Make 4 indentations in the beans with the back of a spoon. Crack 1 egg into each hole, sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper, and return the pan to the oven. Bake until the yolks are still jiggly and the whites have turned opaque (or longer if you want the eggs cooked firm), 10 to 20 minutes. Garnish with the scallions and serve with lime wedges.

Roasted Asparagus and Eggs

I'm somewhat infatuated with eggs... I love learning different ways to eat them. Especially for dinner. I know they eat eggs at all meals throughout the world, but I'm used the American style of keeping eggs for breakfast. Through some interesting recipes I've made lately I'm discovering that a poached egg is a nice compliment to many things. And it really goes well in this dish with asparagus, Parmesan shavings and a bit of balsamic. Yum!

This recipe doesn't yield enough to make it a meal (unless you eat the entire thing with only one or two people) but it's a really elegant starter or side salad. Would be really nice to make when entertaining.

Roasted Asparagus and Eggs Serves 4 1 bunch medium thick asparagus (1 pound), tough ends removed 2 Tbsp. olive oil Coarse Salt ½ cup balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. light-brown sugar 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar 4 large eggs 2 ounces shaved Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet with a rim, toss asparagus with oil. Season with salt. Bake until asparagus is lightly browned and tender, 15 to 18 minutes (timing will vary depending upon thickness of asparagus).

In a small saucepan, cook balsamic vinegar ans sugar over medium-high heat until syrupy and reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large skillet with 2 inches of water to a simmer over medium heat. Add cider vinegar and season with salt. Break on egg at a time into a cup, then tip cup into pan. Simmer until whits are set and yolks are soft but slightly set, about 3 minutes. With a slotted spatula, scoop out eggs one at a time and drain on paper towels. With a paring knife, trim edges.

Divide asparagus among four plates and drizzle with reduced balsamic. Top with shaved Parmesan and egg.

Radish Sliver Omelet

Does anyone else have a hard time making omelets? No matter what I try it seems I always end up with scrambled eggs. It tastes just as good, but doesn't look right. Well that happened again when I tried to make this Radish Sliver Omelet. I should have know that if I have such a hard time making an omelet in a regular pan that I would be even more challenged using a wok!

Still, I love using daikon and the more I work with it the more versatile I can see that it is. I mean radish and eggs? Normally not something I would salivate for but since I know the daikon has a mild flavor I thought I'd give it a try. And I'm glad I did because this is a nice, light omelet that is even kind of fresh in flavor. Perfect for lunch! And speaking of lunch, even though I originally made this for dinner, I had the leftovers cold, right out of the fridge, with an English muffin and it was awesome!

Radish Sliver Omelet luo bu si jian dan 10 oz. Asian radish (daikon) salt and pepper 4 eggs 5 scallions, green parts only, finely sliced 3 Tbsp. peanut oil

Cut the radish into very thin slices, and then in very fin slivers. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, mix well, and leave for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with salt to taste. Add the sliced scallions and set aside.

Squeeze as much water as possible out of the radish slivers.

Heat the peanut oil in a wok or skillet over a high flame. Add the radish slivers and stir-fry for a few minutes to dry out some of the remaining moisture. Turn the heat down a little, add the eggs and mix gently to incorporate. As the omelet cooks, gently push in from the edge so the egg forms soft, loose folds. When the underside is golden, turn the omelet over and fry the other side until also golden. Serve with a sprinkling of pepper to taste.

Oven-Roasted Eggs with Anchovy Vinaigrette

Have you ever heard of roasted eggs? Well, I have not but roasting is one of my favorite cooking methods and eggs are one of my favorite ingredients so within minutes of reading this recipe in The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen I took a carton of eggs out of the fridge and popped them in the oven. I was so intrigued to see what these would end up like!

While the eggs were roasting away in the oven I quickly made the Anchovy Vinaigrette, which is the suggested accompaniment and then did a little research. It seams roasted eggs are part of a traditional Passover meal. I found out that this way to make eggs is very old. But instead of cooking them in the oven, people used to bury them in hot ashes in the ground or stash them in the ashes of a fire place. I can't even imagine how to hook that up but my oven seemed to work out fine.

After finding out all this recipe I was even more curious. The cookbook mentions that the eggs will turn golden and then if you are serving on a platter you should take a few eggs out of the oven at a time. This way some will be lighter gold and the ones that stay in longer will be darker, which makes for a pretties presentation.

Finally after five hours I got to try one! They had a rich, almost smokey flavor. My eggs did not turn out egg-shaped... it seems as if they contracted on one side. Maybe this is because I did not use very fresh eggs as specified in the recipe, but eggs about to expire. It was interesting all the same. I ate two eggs with the anchovy vinaigrette and then realized how rich it all is so I toasted some bread and put slices of eggs on top of the bread and drizzled the vinaigrette on top. Yum!

Sephardic Oven-Roasted Eggs Serves 5 to 10 10 very fresh AA eggs Coarse sea salt Freshly ground pepper Anchovy Vinaigrette (optional)

Set the oven rack in the middle. Soak the eggs in warm water while preheating the oven to 225 degrees. Set the eggs directly on the rack. Bake 4 1/2 to 5 hours. Stagger the removal of the eggs from the oven if you would like the eggs to have a multihued effect (different golden shades).

Roll the eggs to crackle the shells, then drop them into a bowl of cold water to soak for 5 minutes. Slip off the shells, dry and place attractively on a colorful dish. Serve at room temperature with salt and pepper or the anchovy vinaigrette.


Anchovy Vinaigrette
Makes about 1/2 cup

6 salt-packed anchovies, cleaned and filleted, or 12 oil-packed flat anchovy fillets, drained, soaked in cool milky water, rinsed and drained.
1 garlic clove, crushed to a puree
1 Tbsp. mild wine vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
7 to 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

In a small saucepan over low heat, crush the anchovy fillets with a wooden spoon or fork until creamy and smooth. Scrape them into a small bowl or blender jar. Add the garlic, vinegar, and pepper. With the machine on, gradually add the olive oil. Let the vinaigrette stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.

Poached Eggs with Baked Feta and Olives

I think feta cheese and kalamata olives is one of the best flavor combinations that exists. I was intrigued by baking the feta and also the use of egg. I can tell you that the egg added a richness to the texture but also cut the richness of the strong flavors. A perfect combination!

The recipe calls for focaccia but I just used some crusty artisan bread and it was perfect. Also, I had to go out and buy a gratin for this recipe. But it was just an excuse to get some more kitchen goodies.

Poached Eggs with Baked Feta and Olives 6 servings Six 3-inch squares of rosemary focaccia, halved horizontally 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing 10 ounces feta cheese, cut into 6 slabs Aleppo pepper or ancho chile powder, for sprinkling 6 large eggs Salt 18 pitted kalamata olives 1 tablespoon chopped sage

Preheat the broiler and position a rack 6 inches from the heat. Bring a large deep skillet of water to a simmer. Brush the focaccia with olive oil and broil until lightly toasted. Put a slap of feta into each of 6 individual gratin dishes. Drizzle each slap with 1 teaspoon of the oil. sprinkle lightly with Aleppo pepper and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned and sizzling.

Meanwhile, crack the eggs one at a time into a small bowl, then slide them into the simmering water. Poach until the whites are set but the yuolks are sill runny, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to the gratin dishes and season with salt. Sprinkle with Aleppo pepper, the olives and sage. Serve with focaccia.

Tomato-Pepper Stew with Poached Eggs and Harissa

This recipe was featured in a "Travel Israel" section of the May, 2008 issue of Food & Wine magazine. Tomato-Pepper Stew with Poached Eggs and Harissa intrigued my by all the ingredients in the title alone! Anything with tomatoes is okay in my book. Also, while I sometimes enjoy poached eggs when dining out, I have never made them before. Poaching them in a tomato-pepper sauce just sounds amazing, doesn't it?

I was first exposed to harissa (a Tunisian red-chile-pepper paste) last year when I made Harissa-Roasted Turkey Breast from Marcus Samuelsson's The Soul of a New Cuisine. That book focuses on African food so I found it interesting that this recipe highlighting food from Israel used the same unique ingredient. Lucky for me I can now find a jar of harissa at my local Whole Foods and I do not need to make it from scratch like I did last time.

I am really happy that I tried this one out! It is super flavorful and actually quite easy to make. The harissa makes it pretty spicy so if heat is not your thing then you might want to cut it in half. I noticed that if you got a bit of egg with the tomato mixture the creaminess of the egg balances the heat. I ate this with naan and when I took a bite of that it absorbed the rest of the heat. So it's not that bad if you balance it well, but it can catch you off guard if you just take a big mouthful of tomatoes!

This is a recipe that I made for dinner but I ended up with a bunch left over and found out it works really well for breakfast too. As suggested in the recipe, I saved have of the tomato mixture for use on another day and only poached three of the eggs. Considering that you can eat this for any mean and is uses 6 eggs, this is one recipe that can stretch far.

Tomato-Pepper Stew with Poached Eggs and Harissa 6 servings 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice Salt 1 tsp. sweet smoked paprika 1 tsp. ground coriander 1 Tbsp. harissa 1 Tbsp. tomato paste One 28-once can diced tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 6 large eggs Pitas or crusty bread, for serving

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and bell pepper, season with salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the paprika and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the harissa and tomato paste and cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices and simmer over low heat until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes, Stir in the parsley and cilantro and season with salt.

Raise the heat to moderate. One by one, break the eggs into a cup and add them to the simmering sauce. Poach the eggs until the whites are firm but the yolks are still runny, about 5 minutes. Season the eggs with salt. Transfer the eggs to bowls along with some of the sauce. Serve with warmed pitas or crusty bread.

Make ahead: The recipe can be prepared through Step 1 and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat before proceeding.