Sometimes everything just clicks.
- Since April I’d been imagining a huevos rancheros inspired dish built on a polenta base.
- Yes, polenta is Italian, but it works beautifully here.
- My friend Giovanna in Italy suggested we celebrate spring with asparagus — she’s making an asparagus and gorgonzola frittata that sounds fantastic.
- She proposed posting on May 5th.
- May 5th is Cinco de Mayo, a day that celebrates Mexican heritage and pride.
- Seemed like a sign to me.
I tried it—and it turned out fantastic. Really delicious. Please give it a try.
If you’ve made traditional Italian polenta you know it usually requires standing at the stove stirring constantly for 45 minutes. It’s worth it, but it’s a commitment. Marcella Hazan’s no-stir polenta method is brilliant: it still takes about 45 minutes, but you only need to stir every 10 minutes instead of continuously. I’ve cooked many recipes from her Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, and this technique makes it easy to prepare other components during the brief intervals between stirs.
With Marcella’s method you can complete the rest of the recipe during the 10-minute rests. In the last five minutes you fry up sunny-side eggs to top everything. Perfecto.
Serve With
- Slow cooker or Crock Pot pinto beans
- Refried black beans
- Salsa and guacamole
Polenta Huevos Rancheros with Asparagus
Ingredients
For the Polenta:
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup polenta (not quick-cooking)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 jalapeno chili seeded and minced (use gloves if desired)
Vegetable Mixture:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound asparagus cut in 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups cooked pinto beans or 1 15-ounce can pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 1 large avocado peeled, seed removed, and cut into bite-sized chunks
- fresh corn kernels cut from one ear of corn
For the top:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large eggs
- 4 ounces queso fresco crumbled
- 12 fresh cilantro sprigs for garnish
Instructions
To prepare the polenta:
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Bring the water to a boil in a 2-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the salt. Pour the polenta in a thin stream while whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
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Whisk for 2 minutes, then whisk in the oregano and jalapeño. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir vigorously for a minute, replace the lid, and repeat this cycle until the polenta has cooked about 45 minutes in total, stirring only every 10 minutes.
During the last 15 minutes of polenta cooking, prepare the asparagus:
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Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the minced garlic; stir briefly until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
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Add the asparagus and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 3–5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
When the polenta has about 5 minutes remaining:
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Wipe out the asparagus skillet and heat it over medium until hot.
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Crack the eggs into the skillet, spacing them slightly apart. Fry until the whites are set and the yolks begin to thicken but remain runny for sunny-side up. Flip if you prefer firmer yolks.
Assemble the plates:
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Divide the polenta among four plates, spreading each portion into a thin circle with the back of a spoon.
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Top the polenta evenly with asparagus, pinto beans, halved tomatoes, avocado chunks, and corn kernels.
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Place a fried egg on each plate.
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Sprinkle crumbled queso fresco over the top and garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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