Mexican Green Eggs

Many years ago I fell in love with Mexican breakfasts while staying in a kooky little boutique hotel in the Polanco District of Mexico City. I love the combination of eggs and warm tortillas with salty cheese and fresh zingy salsas and coriander. My favourite discovery on that trip was the tomatillo .

Finally this wonderful little fruit is becoming more widely available outside of the Americas. I have been playing around with various iterations of this green sauce and I think the smooth avocado balances out tart tomatillos and  jalapeño peppers. I usually make a batch of this wonderful fresh green and healthy sauce to use with all sorts of tacos or salads - it goes well with chicken, fish and pulled pork. Tomatillos are also available tinned.

Although the name tomatillo means 'little tomato' in Spanish, this little fruit is entirely different. Both originate in the Americas and were consumed there since ancient times, but while the regular tomato became a global superstar, tomatillos or "husk tomatoes" as they were once know have been slower to catch on with the rest of the world.

Tomatillos are covered in an inedible but beautiful jacket-like husk that reminds me of the Peruvian Physalis or Cape Gooseberry. The flesh is denser and drier than a regular tomato. Their taste is fresh, tangy and vegetable-like making them the perfect taco topping.

Tomatillos are low in fat, a good source of Vitamin A and are reported to have anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 4 eggs

• 4 corn tortillas or flour if unavailable

• 6 tablespoons of refried beans, heated

• 4 tablespoons of Queso fresco, crumbled or ricotta or make it yourself like The Spruce Eats.

• Avocado slices to serve

• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

• Cilantro or coriander leaves to garnish

  
  

  For the green sauce

• 6 tomatillos

• 1 avocado

• 1  jalapeño pepper or more to taste

• 1 tablespoons lime juice

• 1 teaspoon salt

  
  

  For the pickled red onions

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 tablespoon salt

Method

• Make the pickled onions by combining onion slices, lime juice and salt and mixing so that the onions are fully covered. Leave the onions to steep for as long as possible. This keeps in am airtight container for up to 1 week and the taste intensifies the longer it rests.

• Make the green sauce by combining the tomatillos (jackets removed), avocado and jalapeños in a food processor, I use a Vitamix. This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

• Meanwhile, fry the eggs in a little olive oil and season with salt

• At the same time warm the tortillas. I use a tortilla warmer but you can just pop 2 tortillas in any plastic container with a lid and microwave on high power and for no more than 30 seconds or use a stove top steamer.

• Assemble the tortillas on a plate, spread on the refriend beans, top with the fried eggs and surrounded the green sauce and topped with crumbled cheese, pickled onion slices, avocado slices and chopped coriander. Sprinkle with more chopped  jalapeño peppers if you like it spicy.