Huevos a la Oaxaqueña

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Volcanic stone molcajete and tejolote
• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for roasting
• •Wide clay cazuela or heavy saute pan for the eggs
• •Wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Roast the salsa ingredients

   Heat a dry comal or cast iron skillet over medium-high. Place the whole tomatoes, the quarter onion, and the unpeeled garlic cloves directly on the hot surface. Let them sit. You want blackened spots on the skin, not a gentle tan. Turn the tomatoes every two to three minutes until they are blistered and soft on all sides, about eight to ten minutes total. The onion takes the same time. The garlic is done sooner, maybe five minutes, when the papery skin is charred and the clove inside is soft. Set everything aside. Toast the chiles de arbol on the same comal for about 15 seconds per side, pressing them flat with a spatula. They curl and darken fast. The moment you smell them, they are done. Burned chile de arbol is bitter and there is nothing to do about it.

   The tomatoes should collapse and release juice on the comal. That blackened juice on the surface is flavor. Do not wipe the comal clean between the vegetables and the chiles.
2. 2

   Make the molcajete salsa

   Peel the garlic cloves. Place the toasted chiles de arbol in the molcajete with the salt and grind them to a rough paste. Add the garlic and grind again. Now add the roasted tomato and onion, crushing and turning with the tejolote until you have a chunky, uneven salsa with visible pieces of tomato and flecks of charred skin. Do not make it smooth. The texture is the point. Taste for salt. It should be smoky from the char, sharp from the chile, and round from the roasted onion. Set the molcajete aside.

   If you do not have a molcajete, chop the roasted ingredients roughly on a cutting board with a knife. Crush the chiles and garlic with the flat side of the blade first. A blender will make this too smooth and you will lose what makes this salsa Oaxacan.
3. 3

   Cook the chorizo

   Heat the asiento in a wide skillet, clay cazuela, or heavy saute pan over medium heat. When the fat shimmers and smells porky, crumble the Oaxacan chorizo into the pan. Break it apart with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Oaxacan chorizo is drier and more vinegar-forward than the red, greasy chorizo from other states. It will render some fat but not swim in it. Cook for four to five minutes until the chorizo is browned at the edges and cooked through. Do not drain the fat. That fat is flavor and it is going to cook the eggs.

   Oaxacan chorizo uses pasilla oaxaqueno and vinegar, giving it a darker color and smokier profile than chorizo from Toluca or the Bajio. If you substitute another Mexican chorizo, the dish will taste different. It will still be good. It will not be Oaxacan.
4. 4

   Scramble the eggs

   Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly with a fork. Just enough to combine the whites and yolks. Do not whisk air into them. Pour the eggs over the chorizo in the pan. Let them sit for about 30 seconds until the edges begin to set, then push them gently toward the center with a spatula or wooden spoon, folding the cooked egg over the still-wet egg. Keep the heat at medium. Move slowly. You want large, soft curds streaked with the dark chorizo, not a dry scramble. When the eggs are still slightly wet on top, scatter the chopped epazote over them and fold it in. Pull the pan off the heat. The residual heat finishes the cooking. Overcooked eggs are dry eggs, and dry eggs are a waste of good asiento.

5. 5

   Finish with quesillo and salsa

   Immediately drape the pulled strips of quesillo over the hot eggs. The cheese will soften and begin to melt from the heat of the pan but will not disappear. Quesillo stretches. That is what it does. Spoon the molcajete salsa generously over the top and around the edges of the plate. Serve straight from the pan or transfer to warm plates. Put the tortillas on the table in a cloth-lined basket, the beans in a small bowl, and the lime wedges alongside. This is a morning plate that takes 30 minutes and feeds the whole table. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Asiento is sold by weight at Oaxacan markets, usually in small plastic bags near the chicharron vendors. Outside of Oaxaca, look for it at Mexican grocery stores that carry Oaxacan products, sometimes labeled 'asiento de chicharron' or 'manteca negra.' If you truly cannot find it, use fresh manteca de cerdo. It will lack the smoky sediment flavor, but it is the closest honest substitute. Do not use vegetable oil. The eggs will taste like nothing.
• •Quesillo is Oaxaca's cheese. It comes in a ball of wound-up strings. Pull it apart into thin threads before using. Do not slice it or grate it. The threads are the texture. Mozzarella is the usual substitute and it melts well, but it does not have the slight tang of quesillo. If a Mexican market near you carries quesillo, buy it fresh, not the vacuum-sealed version, which is rubbery.
• •The epazote goes in at the very end, just folded into the eggs off heat. Fresh epazote has a resinous, almost medicinal flavor that is essential to Oaxacan cooking. Dried epazote is a shadow of itself but better than nothing. Do not substitute cilantro or parsley. They are different herbs for different dishes. If you cannot find epazote, leave it out entirely. A missing herb is better than a wrong one.
• •Oaxacan chorizo is made with pasilla oaxaqueno, vinegar, and spices, and it has a darker, drier, smokier character than the bright red pork chorizo from Toluca. Ask for it specifically at a Oaxacan tienda. If you use Toluca-style chorizo, the dish will taste more like central Mexico. It will still be good. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Advance Preparation

• •The molcajete salsa can be made up to four hours ahead and left at room temperature in the molcajete. It actually improves as the flavors settle into the stone. Cover with a cloth.
• •The chorizo can be cooked and held in the pan for up to 30 minutes. Reheat over medium before adding the eggs. The eggs themselves must be cooked to order. There is no reheating scrambled eggs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 225g)