We’re starting a new series, sharing healthy recipes that are also tasty and easy to prepare.

Do let us know if you have any great recipe ideas.

This week we have a simple dish: rancher’s eggs (huevos rancheros).  The eggs are baked in a spicy tomato sauce, made using a similar method to a Trinidadian tomato choka.  The tomatoes are roasted and allowed to char slightly to give the sauce a smoky flavour.

This dish can be eaten on its own or with boiled cassava or whole wheat toast, for example, if additional carbohydrates are required.

Ingredients

• Small onion – ½
• Scotch bonnet pepper – 1
• Green sweet pepper – ½
• Garlic – 4-6 cloves
• Tomatoes – 8 very ripe medium tomatoes (500g)
• Salt – 1g
• Black pepper – to taste
• Coriander or chadon beni – 5 sprigs
• Olive oil – 3 teaspoons
• Eggs – 2

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.  Ensure that the shelves are far enough apart so that your frying pan can sit flat on the shelf without tilting.

Place the whole tomatoes in a plastic bag with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.  Make sure that the tomatoes are completely coated.  Place them on a pre-heated baking tray in the oven.  Cook for 20 to 30 minutes until the skin has begun to blacken.

Remove any blackened skin and chop the tomatoes.

Preparing the vegetables

Finely chop the onion.

Remove the seeds and white flesh from the sweet peppers and roughly chop into medium pieces.

Peel the garlic and chop into very small pieces.

Remove the seeds from the scotch bonnet and chop finely.

Making the sauce

Place an ovenproof pan on medium heat.  Add the remaining olive oil and then the onions. Cook until they are just beginning to soften (they should be translucent). Next, add the garlic and continue to cook for about 1 minute until it has softened and begun to colour slightly.

Add the peppers (sweet and scotch bonnet) and cook for about 1 minute.  Add the chopped tomatoes.Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes.  Season with salt and black pepper.

Taste the sauce at this point.  It should be spicy.

Finishing off

Using the back of a tablespoon, make two “hollows” in the tomato sauce.

Carefully, break an egg into each of these, ensuring that you do not break the yolk and that they do not touch.

Season the eggs with a pinch of salt and black pepper.

Cover the dish and place in the oven.  Bake until the eggs are cooked – 3 to 4 minutes for a runny yolk; 5 to 8 minutes if you prefer your eggs well done.

Sprinkle with chopped coriander or chadon beni to finish.

Your rancher’s eggs are ready!

Many thanks to Nicole Austin