Eggs with Chiles and Tomatoes

A few weeks ago when I was picking up my CSA share, I found myself in a conversation about cooking. Strange, huh? Ok, I find myself in such conversations all the time. When someone at the grocery store is buying a lot of one vegetable, I have to know how he or she is planning to use it. On that particular day, I was going on about what I’d been making with my fresh veggies and what I had planned for that week. My friend from WCOF said “here’s what you have to try: eggs with chiles and tomatoes.” He described to me in general terms how the dish comes together. I had an immediate, happy flashback to a brunch at Fonda San Miguel and their eggs poached in stewed poblanos. I enjoy eggs just about any which way, but eggs with hot chiles are outstanding. The delicate, subtle egg is never lost; its flavor just gets sidled right up to by the chiles’ earthy heat. One of my favorite frittatas is one with green chiles and monterey jack cheese. As 'eggs with chiles and tomatoes' was described to me, it also reminded me of a Martha recipe for poached eggs in tomato sauce. This would be a little different since the sauce would be pretty chunky from fresh tomatoes and lots of chiles. Here’s how I threw it together.

2 T olive oil
1 T butter
1/4 c finely chopped red onion
2 anaheim chiles, seeded and roughly chopped
2 mild chiles such as hungarian wax or cubanelle, seeded and roughly chopped
3 jalapenos, roughly chopped with or without seeds and membranes
1 jalapeno, not seeded, sliced for garnish
2 serrano chiles, seeded and roughly chopped
1 large heirloom tomato, chopped into 1” chunks
5 eggs
1/2 c shredded monterey jack cheese
2 green onions, sliced for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

-pre-heat broiler; in a medium sauté pan over medium heat, heat oil and melt butter; add onion and chiles, season to taste, and sauté until just softened; add tomato chunks and cook until starting to break apart and juices escape, about seven minutes
-break eggs into stewed tomatoes and chiles and cook for two minutes; sprinkle monterey jack on top and place under broiler for about five minutes or until eggs are just set and cheese has browned slightly
-garnish with sliced green onion and sliced jalapeno and serve in bowls

The eggs don’t exactly poach since there isn’t room for them to be completely immersed. Instead, they’re sort of soft fried. The spicy chiles, the melted cheese, and the crunchy garnishes make this dish a satisfying morning meal. Next time, I’ll have some warm corn tortillas ready as an accompaniment. In fact, now that I’ve thought of that, I can’t wait to make it again.