Bricklayer Eggs – Huevos Al Albañil

Wish I could take credit for the garlic, but everything else in this picture was grown by yours truly. Note the blue eggs. My Araucanas have started laying!

Years ago, while on a business trip in Albuquerque, a coworker and I stumbled upon a small coffee shop while looking for breakfast. The place was run by a little Mexican woman who barely spoke English, but boy could she cook. We returned there every morning we were in town for her Eggs Albañil, a dish so spicy and wonderful it made my coworker’s ears ring.

I had problems with some of my tomatillos splitting, so I sold the pretty ones and made Albañil with the split ones. Never let anything go to waste, that’s my motto.

If you have (or can get) fresh tomatillos, now is the time to make this dish. This recipe is adapted from one I found via Google when I returned from Albuquerque, and have been making ever since. You’ll also find recipes for this using tomatoes instead of tomatillos, but trust me, this sauce should be green green green.

Eggs Albañil (Bricklayer Eggs)

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and quartered
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 fresh serrano, jalapeño or green chiles, or to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 8 eggs
• salt to taste

Place tomatillos, onion, garlic and chiles in a large saucepan and add just enough water to barely cover. Bring to a boil and cook until the tomatillos are just soft, about 5-8 minutes. Place mixture in a blender (better than a food processor for this application) with the cilantro and puree until smooth.

Rinse out your saucepan, dry and add 2 tbsp oil. Heat over medium heat and add the pureed sauce. Cook 15-20 minutes or until thickened. Add salt to taste (at least 1/2 tsp to start. Tomatillos are on the sweet side, and you need the salt to help counter that).

Just before sauce is done, scramble eggs in separate skillet until just done. Plate eggs, spoon sauce over them, and serve with warm tortillas. The eggs should be “swimming” in the sauce. Don’t be shy about it.

When I’m in the mood for fried rather than scrambled eggs, I just spoon the sauce into the skillet with the eggs, cover, and “poach” until the yolks are done to my liking. Extra sauce will store in the refrigerator for about a week.

Miles Away Farm Blog © 2011, where we’re miles away from Mexico, but her food is always near to our hearts.