Only better. I’ve modified this recipe to suit my own taste. No relatives are allowed to complain about these changes unless they’ve tried it. Consider that either an invitation or a threat.

So. “Huevos Rancheros” is Spanish for “Ranch Eggs”. That’s all. It means different things in different regions, and this version comes from my great-grandmother, Isidra Ybarra y de Valle, of Sabinas Hidalgo in the state of Nuevo Leon, in northern Mexico. I think she made it up, though – per family report, she had no domestic skills at all until the family moved to the United States in 1915 and, apparently, did not bring their cook with them.

Ingredients:

• 6 tomatoes
• 1 sweet yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 guerito chiles, bottled in vinegar
• cumin
• oregano
• eggs
• olive oil
• 4 cups water
• shredded Mexican cheese (cheddar, jack, asadero blend)

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add diced onions and garlic, sautee until clear and soft. Add diced tomatoes, sliced guerito chiles. Cook on medium heat for about five minutes. Pour some of the liquid from the bottle of gueritos into the skillet, add four cups of water. Bring to a full boil, then reduce to a medium heat. Add cumin and oregano. Reduce to a fresh vegetable soup consistency – brothy and chunky, but not thick! When your kitchen is steamy and smells of chiles and vinegar, drop the eggs in the broth and poach them. Spoon the warm broth, the tomatoes and chiles over the eggs to seal in the heat while poaching. Turn gently once for a fully poached egg white.

Heat corn tortillas in skillet. When warm and soft, place tortilla(s) in a pasta bowl, spoon the eggs and huevos over the tortillas. Top with cheese, and pour the rest of the soup over the eggs.

 This is a very spicy version of Huevos Rancheros; the gueritos are sharp and quite delicious, if you like heat and you like vinegar. They can be found in many grocery stores in the Mexican food section or sometimes in the condiments aisle.

The changes I’ve made have included taking the time to reduce the broth, and the cheese is an addition that complements the chiles and restrains the heat just slightly. For some reason, my mom has always served this with rye krisps instead of tortillas. This makes no sense to me, and I can’t imagine what she was thinking. Corn tortillas – that’s the way it ought to be done. This recipe makes 2-4 servings.

Try it, let me know what you think. I assume I will not be sent to family recipe hell for my changes, or at least not for long.

Salud!

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” —MLK

These words, from Martin Luther King, Jr., have been traveling around the internet ever since the news of Bin Laden’s death came out on Sunday. It’s interesting, I think, that vengeance and redemption and forgiveness seem to be a part of the collective conversation at this moment.

I have been reflecting on what Laurie and I have often observed about human nature, which is that forgiveness is at the top of our brains. The flowering of human endeavor lies in our ability to forgive, to care for and nurture our fellow humans, our animal cousins, the very earth and water and air. It is also true that war, tribalism, retribution and violence are hard wired in the core of our brains – these are survival and crisis responses, and as such, we are relieved and in some ways satisfied when we hear that a Bin Laden is dead. And yet, every time someone rises above those impulses – as MLK did, as any number of spiritual leaders have done – it is a gift of grace. This is a good time to focus on grace, and to start to release the anger, fear and division that have driven us as a culture and a nation since 9/11.

This is a favorite dish in the sunny southwest and can be made mild to hot – know how to choose your chile! It’s possible to buy a quart or two of prepared red chile sauce at any number of New Mexican restaurants and Mexican grocers throughout New Mexico. If you are sadly unable to acquire your sauce RTE, I’ve included a basic recipe here. Don’t used canned enchilada sauce – it’s just wrong. This sauce does not have tomatoes in it – it is a very basic sauce made with a roux and the chile puree. New Mexican enchiladas are typically made flat, not rolled. Quite like a lasagna with ooomph.

This recipe is easily assembled once the sauce is ready. The baby spinach does not need to be pre-cooked, just layer it along with the other ingredients. This recipe makes 8-12 servings.

• 1 lb. fresh baby spinach
• 1 to 1.5 quarts red chile sauce
• corn tortillas
• olive oil
• Mexican shredded cheese blend, to taste

Red chile sauce:

• two cartons frozen raw red chile puree (Bueno)
• olive oil
• flour
• garlic
• onion
• cumin
• oregano

The sauce: Cook the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, set aside. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, add flour and brown. Add the thawed red chile and whisk until you have a smooth, creamy texture, adding water as needed to adjust the consistency. Stir in the garlic, onion, oregano and cumin.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease a  9×12 baking dish. Dip corn tortillas one at a time in the warm red sauce then lay flat in the dish (two-two-two covers the bottom). Add a layer of uncooked spinach. Cover with red sauce, sprinkle cheese blend on top. Repeat: tortilla-spinach-red sauce-cheese until pan is full. Last layer will need to be compressed a bit and covered with the last of the red and a dash more cheese.

Bake, covered, for one hour. Uncover in last 15 minutes to give a little crisp to the top. Let rest a few minutes before serving.

Wish I had a picture. In the absence of one, I’ll fill in with a picture from Jemez Springs and will pop in a picture of the dish next time I make it. This is a healthy, sustaining meal, good for the mouth and not particularly difficult. The spinach is fabulous with the red sauce. A favorite at Chez Bosquechica.

Have una cerveza, some guacamole and chips while you’re cooking. Life is good, que no?

Do – do you suppose we’ll meet any wild animals?

Mmmm – we might.

Animals that – that eat straw?

Some – but mostly Mexicans, Muslims and Gays.

Mexicans! Muslims! and Gays! Oh My!

Grabs the remote. Changes the channel. Ooh. Same report on every channel! Every newspaper! Every blog! Every radio program! Must be bad!!!!!

Straw Man again: Be very afraid. Hate everyone. Government bad! Neighbors bad! Healthcare bad! Education bad! Bad Bad Bad aaaaaaaaaaah

How can you argue with logic like that?

BP announced today that in a move to improve their public image, the company will be disbanded and reorganized with a new emphasis on environmental accountability. The new company, Hubris Oil, will go public on Sept. 11. Mark Crassus, CEO-elect of the newly formed multinational corporation, unveiled Hubris’ mission statement:

Humble Oil put a tiger in your tank; Hubris lets the tiger out.

Crassus expects the new venture to launch an aggressive online and on-air campaign, encouraging all Americans affected by the recent events off the Gulf Coast to invest in a secure future with Hubris.

(Folk singer in the background, fade away)

        As I was driving that ribbon of highway 
        I saw above me an acid rainbow  
        I saw below me the dying algae
        This land was stained by old BP

        This land was your land
        this land was my land
        from the Chugach Forest,
        to Chandeleur Island
        from the gulfstream slaughter
        to the drilling loopholes,
        this land was made for you and me

My doctor sent me to get some blood drawn, and I added a check mark (after the fact) for a blood test I wanted done that my doctor has consistently neglected to run, in spite of my requests. It’s an “integrative health clinic”, and they always want me to take my temperature for three weeks and do elimination diets and blahblablah.

Got the results back. The box I checked? Yep, that was it.

Simple tiny pill every morning. Typical results of the single little pill? Increased energy, reduced pain, reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes, lowered cholesterol, weight loss, better sleep, healthier hair, skin and nails.  

Why the hell is health care so hard to manage? Why are women discounted so utterly? Why in god’s name have I been put at risk of serious complications because some nitwit didn’t want to do the most obvious possible test for a middle-aged woman with textbook symptoms and a history of facial radiation?

Geez fucking Louise.

Just thyroid. That fucking simple. Not rocket science, not a character flaw, not my lifestyle (my lifestyle is healthy and productive, thank you very much).

You want something done, you gotta do it yourself.

I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Now that spring is more than just a date, I am ready to resume talking about life, about food, about the little farm (such as it is) and the challenges of living both as an urban professional and a weekend farmer.

Look for new recipes, announcements of new arrivals, and a little commentary about life in the world at large.

(Laughter is gayest where the food is best)

Ingredients

Potatoes, 1 lb.
Kale, 1 lb.
Olive oil, eyeball it
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chives or green onions, fresh
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk

Directions:

Boil the potatoes whole, peels on (I like Yukon Gold for mashed potatoes, but this is a matter of taste). Mash and mix with milk and butter to a pleasing consistency.

Chop the kale fine, the chives as well.  Sautee together until they are well cooked.

Serve the mashed potatoes in a round scoop. Make a hole in the middle and pour in a bit of melted butter. Top with the kale. Salt and pepper to taste. This is a simple recipe, but delicious and sustaining. For all that.

Variations:
Beer gravy: here’s a vegetarian version – make a standard roux, add miso and a stout beer. This is a strong gravy, not to everyone’s taste, but complements the kale nicely.
Bacon or pancetta – well cooked, sprinkled on top.
Green cabbage instead of kale.

Do enjoy.

I’ll let you know how the colcannon turns out.

Tuna Millefeuille

Sashimi grade tuna
Mozzarella
Basil
Olive oil
Lemon
Olives
Roasted red bell peppers
Flying fish roe
Crispy pecan crackers, optional

Chop the olives and mix with basil, olive oil and lemon. Slice the roasted red bells and toss in with the olive mixture. Salt and pepper lightly.

Slice the tuna and the mozzarella both in 1/2 to 1 inch slices. Stack the tuna, the olive/basil mixture, and the mozzarella in alternating levels, until it is 3 or 4 inches high.

Pretty it up by topping with basil leaves, ribboned carrots and roe. Drizzle with olive oil and serve stacked high.

This is an approximation of a dish at Noda’s Japanese Restaurant in Rio Rancho (891-4378), which has both the best and the most original Japanese food in New Mexico, in my opinion (which is fairly well informed, I will say without undue modesty). The crackers at Noda’s are homemade, crispy and dense, with pecans, seeds and something else… they would be tough to replicate, I think.

Mmm. Now you may happily continue your weekend.