Huevos Tirados Veracruzanos (Veracruz Eggs and Black Beans)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •10-inch clay cazuela de barro rojo or heavy skillet
• •Wide skillet for frying plátano macho
• •Bean masher or heavy wooden spoon
• •Cast iron comal for warming corn tortillas

Instructions

1. 1

   Fry the plantain

   Heat the aceite de maíz in a wide skillet over medium heat. When a small piece of plantain bubbles at the edges, add the plátano macho slices in one layer. Fry 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep gold with caramelized brown spots and soft centers. Transfer to a paper-lined plate and season with a small pinch of salt. Ripe plantain burns fast once the sugar wakes up, so stay with the pan.

2. 2

   Start the beans

   In a wide clay cazuela or heavy skillet, melt the manteca de cerdo over medium heat. Add the white onion and chile jalapeño. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion turns translucent and the jalapeño softens from bright green to olive. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. La manteca es el sabor, especially with black beans.

   The jalapeño is not here to make the dish punish you. It gives a green chile note tied to Xalapa, Veracruz. Remove the seeds if you need less heat, but do not replace it with bell pepper.
3. 3

   Refry and mash

   Add the black beans, bean broth, epazote sprig, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mash with a bean masher or the back of a wooden spoon until mostly smooth, leaving a few whole beans for texture. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the beans look glossy and loose, like a thick sauce. If they stand in a dry mound, add a splash more bean broth or water. Remove the epazote stem.

4. 4

   Fold in eggs

   Beat the eggs with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lower the heat to medium-low and pour the eggs directly into the beans. Let them sit for 10 seconds, then pull the spoon slowly across the bottom of the pan in wide circles. The yellow curds should fold into the black beans, not sit beside them. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, just until the eggs are set but still glossy. Huevos tirados means the eggs are thrown into the beans, but that does not mean careless. Así se hace y punto.

5. 5

   Serve Veracruz style

   Warm the corn tortillas on a dry comal until flexible with toasted brown freckles. Spoon the huevos tirados into a low barro rojo cazuela or onto warm plates. Scatter queso fresco over the top, tuck the fried plátano macho along the side, and set salsa macha and tortillas on the table. Eat immediately, while the beans are soft and the eggs still tender.

Chef Tips

• •Start with yesterday's frijoles negros de olla cooked with epazote. Huevos tirados is household economy. Cook beans today, eat them tomorrow, and the flavor will be better.
• •Do not use canned refried beans. If canned whole black beans are all you have, drain them, save the liquid, and refry them yourself with epazote and manteca. That is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •The beans want lard. Aceite de maíz will feed you if pork is not possible, but the flavor will be flatter. La manteca es el sabor.
• •The plátano macho must be ripe, yellow with black patches. Green plantain belongs to another dish. If the mercado only has green ones, wait.
• •Corn tortillas belong here. Flour tortillas are a northern tradition. Veracruz breakfast sits with corn, black beans, plantain, and queso fresco. No me vengas con cheddar.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook the black beans up to 4 days ahead with white onion, garlic, and epazote. Keep the bean broth. The broth is what lets the eggs fold into the beans properly.
• •The refried bean base can be made the night before. Reheat it with a splash of bean broth before adding the eggs.
• •Fry the plátano macho just before serving. It loses its soft center and caramelized edges if it sits too long.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 375g)