Today, we have Senior National Park Ranger, Alice Meadows, sharing her favourite breakfast dish: Smoky Huevos Rancheros—Elsie Creek Style, cooked by the campfire in the Elsie Creek National Park…

What is the Smoky Huevos Rancheros—Elsie Creek Style?

The Smoky huevos rancheros is a Mexican dish that involves fried eggs on a spicy tomato and black bean sauce, served on tortillas. It’s a fast and fabulous one-pan meal you make on the run for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s a family favourite dish my dad taught me, and we’ve cooked this every time we go camping. I still do, especially when I go on overnight patrols in Elsie Creek National Park.

As we’re talking about the magic of beans here, I can list the amazing health and nutrition benefits of this dish, but that would be boring. All I can say is you’ve got yourself a perfectly healthy dish full of fabulous flavours you’ll want to make it again and again.

So that we don’t have to scroll for the next five minutes to find the recipe (which I hate when I want to cook), and because I’m a ranger–not a writer, here are the goods you’ll need to make the dish:

THE SMOKY HUEVOS RANCHEROS RECIPE:

Most ingredients you’ll find in the home kitchen. As this is a meal to cook while camping, I’ve offered some alternatives. Just remember, it’s your dish, your camping trip, your tastebuds, so go crazy and find your own style.

INGREDIENTS:

Tortillas-2 per person warmed up

Eggs- 1 per tortilla

1 x can black beans rinsed and drained

1 x can of crushed tomatoes

Cleaned, de-seeded, and sliced capsicum (pepper) in any colour you choose.

1 x tablespoon of Chipotle In Adobo Sauce. As you may not find this while out camping here are some alternatives:

• a healthy dash of Mexican chilli mix
• or 1 x tablespoon tomato paste
• or 2 x tablespoons of barbecue sauce

Fresh baby spinach and kale (coz greens are good for you) you choose how much you want

1 x small chopped onion

2 x cloves minced garlic

Some sort of cooking oil or butter to start the cooking process

2 x teaspoons cumin

2 x teaspoons smoked paprika

2 x teaspoons oregano

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Lime

Avocado smashed or sliced

Coriander (cilantro) ripped, torn or chopped.

TOOLS:

Alfoil (tin foil)

Chopping knife

Chopping board

A frying pan or a deep cast iron skillet is even better

Something to stir and flip the eggs. Easy as.

METHOD:

Wrap tortillas in foil and keep them near the campfire to warm them, or drop that foil parcel into the pan while you get your ingredients together.

Grab your deep skillet, add oil to sauté the onions and garlic, then your capsicum.

Add the herbs and spices: cumin, oregano and paprika.

Add tomatoes and chipotle sauce (or the alternatives), let it simmer for five, then mash into a chunky sauce.

Add the beans.

Again, let it simmer until the beans are warm.

At the last moment, toss in your spinach and kale with a squeeze of lime, and stir. Pour into a serving bowl.

Fry your egg.  **Some people cook their eggs straight into the bean mix (as shown in some of our pictures). I find it a bit of a hit-and-miss this way when cooking by campfire. And let’s not start on when I cook for the egg-aficionados in my family: I enjoy a soft egg, my dad likes hard eggs, Stewart will eat two any way they come, and my mother likes no eggs.  Trust me, it’s easier to just fry the eggs separately when cooking for others.

Then build your stack…

@melarowe

PUTTING THE STACK TOGETHER:

On a plate, add the following to your liking, starting with:

1.Tortillas (Do check out this homemade recipe for tortillas made by another local Elsie Creek resident.)

1. Spinach and smoky beans mix

2. Egg on top

3. Serve with smashed avocado, lime wedge, and torn coriander.

OPTIONAL FOODIE EXTRA TIPS:

As this is a family favourite we cook whenever we go camping, over the years we’ve come up with many alternatives to this dish, so feel free to experiment and find your own style. But here’s a few you can try:

• You can up your tomato sauce game at home with the adobo mix and herbs by cooking them, as mentioned above, and then blend it into a thick and creamy sauce. You can then spoon it on the tortilla laid flat like a pizza base. Add the beans, then some grated cheese or crumbled feta, and put in the oven to bake for a fabulous tostada. Yum
• You can add crispy bacon or chorizo to really boost the smoky flavours of this dish, just fry them with the capsicums.
• Why not add a dollop of sour cream or Greek yoghurt on top if you want to go really fancy?

More importantly, just have fun with it as you take in the view of the great outdoors …

So where does the Elsie Creek Style come into the Smoky Huevos Rancheros?

The view…

The sun crept over the outback’s horizon, revealing a view that stretched further than the eye could see. It was Elsie Creek National Park where various birds began stirring as the only other neighbouring noises. They complimented the inviting aromas of Alice’s Smoky Huevos Rancheros.

In her ranger’s uniform, Alice dropped into her camping chair near the campfire. She aptly rolled up her tortilla and began eating. Only pausing to wash it down with a sip of her fragrant tea where the steam curled in wisps from her travel mug. “What are you waiting for? Dig in.”

Rolling up my tortilla, I took a bite. Instantly, the coriander and kale combination with the smoky beans and eggs were heavenly on the taste buds. “This breakfast is amazing,” I mumbled, dabbing at my mouth with a napkin, it was impossible to stop myself from wolfing it down.

Thank you, Alice. Thank you for breakfast, and for your amazing tour of Elsie Creek National Park.

You can find more about Snr Park Ranger Alice Meadows in the latest addition to the bestselling Elsie Creek Series- DOCTORING DUST. Tap here for more details>>

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