Neil Perry’s huevos rancheros

I love this dish: it’s so tasty and such a great way to eat eggs whenever you feel a protein craving. I recommend making the tomato and black bean sauce the day before you need it – it adds extra depth to the flavour – and adding avocado, coriander and a dollop of sour cream at the very end.

Serves 4

60ml vegetable oil, plus extra as necessary
8 small corn tortillas
8 free-range eggs
120g queso fresco, grated
avocado, sour cream, coriander leaves and hot sauce or salsa verde, to serve

For the black bean sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 rashers smoked bacon, finely diced
1 large brown onion, cut into 1.5cm dice
1 red capsicum, cut into 1.5cm dice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tin (400g) diced tomatoes
1 jar (375g) red enchilada sauce
400ml fresh chicken stock
1 tin (450g) black beans, drained

For the tomato salsa
2 large tomatoes, finely diced
½ fresh jalapeño chilli, finely chopped, or to taste
½ small white onion, finely diced
1 large handful coriander leaves, finely chopped
lime juice, to taste
sea salt

1. To make the black bean sauce, heat the 2 tbsp oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté bacon, onion and capsicum until soft and lightly browned. Add the oregano and cumin and cook for about 1 minute. Add the tomato, enchilada sauce and stock, then increase the heat to high. Bring to the boil, stirring frequently, then reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened, then fold through beans and cook for a further 10 minutes.

2. To make the tomato salsa, combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Adjust the chilli, lime juice and salt to taste, then set aside.

3. Heat 60ml vegetable oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Test the temperature of the oil with a small piece of tortilla: it should start to bubble (if it browns straight away, the oil’s too hot). Cook each tortilla for about 30 seconds on each side. (You want them golden, not hard.) Drain on a paper towel on a plate and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the remaining tortillas.

4. Meanwhile, fry the eggs in batches in a large frying pan. (I like to leave the yolks runny.)