Eggs a la Paloma

We're 11 weeks into FNCCC! Daisy Martinez was this week's chef. Her recipes are mostly Latin inspired. There wasn't a ton to choose from on the Food Network site, but I understand she also had a PBS show prior to her series on FN. I went for her Eggs a la Paloma since I had leftover chorizo in the fridge and a lovely supply of fresh eggs from my in-laws.

This recipe is proof that some good things just don't photograph well.

Eggs a la Paloma
Courtesy Daisy Martinez

Recipe is for 6 servings. You'll need 6 (5 1/2" or similar size) oven safe casserole dishes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil


• 2 tablespoons grated onion


• 1 clove garlic


• 1 1/4 teaspoon chili powder


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin


• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano


• 1 (8-ounce can) Spanish style tomato sauce (I just used regular tomato sauce. As far as I can tell the difference is that the Spanish style has peppers and spices as well.)


• 1/4 cup vegetable stock or water (I used water)


• 1 1/2 cups (removed from casing and crumbled) Mexican chorizo (I used Spanish chorizo which is a LOT less spicy than Mexican chorizo so keep that in mind if you're making substitutions!)


• 2 Hass avocados


• 1 lime, juiced (I used bottled juice)


• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


• Vegetable oil cooking spray


• 1 dozen eggs


• 1 cup shredded Oaxaca cheese (**see notes below**) or mozzarella cheese


• 1/2 cup crema Mexicana (**see notes below**) or sour cream


• Minced fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions (I pretty much followed these to the letter!)

To make the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Stir in the stock, bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the sauce is simmering. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is lightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

Set the rack about 4 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler.

Cook the chorizo in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and set aside

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit and peel the halves. Cut each half lengthwise into 6 thin slices. Toss together in a medium bowl with the lime juice. Divide the chorizo among 6 oven-proof, individual serving casseroles, about 5 1/ 2-inches wide by 1-inch deep. Cover the chorizo in each casserole with 4 thin slices of avocado.

To cook the eggs: Spray a frying pan or griddle with the vegetable cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add as many eggs as will fit without touching and cook until the underside of the eggs is set, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the whites are completely set, about 3 minutes. Place 2 eggs on top of the avocado in each casserole. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Divide the tomato sauce among the 6 casseroles, topping the eggs with a thin, even layer of sauce. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce, dividing it evenly. Broil just until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Top each casserole with a teaspoon of crema and sprinkle the chopped cilantro over the cream. Pass the remaining crema separately.

**Crema Mexicana is a mildly acidic dairy product with a consistency that makes it perfect for drizzling over finished dishes. It is available in Latin markets and some supermarkets. If you cannot find it, substitute sour cream, thinned down with water (I used the thinned sour cream).**

**Oaxaca cheese is a mild string cheese from the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. It is available in Latin markets and some supermarkets. Whole milk mozzarella is the perfect substitute (I used the mozzarella).**

The Verdict: I was kinda nervous as I was putting this together, but it was a winner! We both really liked it and I'll make it again. It was rather time consuming for me since I cooked the eggs separately but that's more of a "I can't cook more than one egg in the pan at a time without them running together" problem than a "THIS RECIPE TAKES 500 YEARS TO MAKE" problem.

I really appreciated that she had readily available substitutions for the less common ingredients.  So much of the time these recipes have crazy ingredients that are really difficult to come by.  I hope to try some more of her stuff in the future.  Especially her churro recipe!