Dixieland Huevos Rancheros

A sleepless night lead to making this unusual breakfast for my fiancé. It came out so good that I wrote it down.

• Ready In: 3 hrs
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 stacks

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  cup onion, chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 cup dried pinto bean
• 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder
•  salt, to taste
•  cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1⁄2 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1 -3  teaspoon  serrano pepper, minced (how much kick do you want)
• 2  cups tomatoes, chopped
• 1  teaspoon oregano
• 2  tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped, plus a few whole leaves
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  hot pepper sauce (Tabasco, Tapatio, Franks Red Hot, etc.)
• 1⁄2 cup cornmeal
• 1⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup milk
• 2  tablespoons butter, melted
• 5  eggs, divided
• 1⁄2 cup cheese, shredded Mexican blend

Directions

1. Soak beans overnight or boil 3 minutes then cover and let stand 1 hour.
2. Drain beans and cover with fresh water. Boil until tender, about 1½ hours.
3. Drain beans and reserve liquid.
4. In a medium skillet sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender, about 5 minute.
5. Remove 3 tablespoons of the onion/garlic mixture and combine it with the beans.
6. Add chili powder and mash beans until smooth adding reserved liquid as necessary.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Add peppers to the remaining onion mixture and sauté another few minutes.
9. Add tomatoes, oregano, cilantro, water and pepper sauce. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
10. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
11. Whisk together milk, butter and 1 egg.
12. Add milk mixture to cornmeal mixture and mix until blended.
13. Let batter rest 5 minutes.
14. Pour about 1/4 the batter onto lightly greased skillet to make 4” diameter cakes.
15. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes each side.
16. Carefully break remaining 4 eggs into simmering sauce, keeping them apart.
17. Cover and cook until eggs are set and yolks are the way you prefer, about 4-8 min, soft-hard.
18. Cover corn cake with beans, top with egg and some sauce.
19. Sprinkle cheese over the tops and broil briefly.
20. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.
21. There is a lot of overlap in cooking times.
22. You could knock the time down with prepared salsa and refried beans, but why?