Skillet Huevos Ahogados en Pasilla (Oaxacan Poached Eggs in Smoky Tomato Broth with Melted Quesillo)

Instructions

1. 1

   Set a 10- or 12-inch cast iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Drop in 2 dried pasilla chiles and press them flat with your spatula for 10 to 15 seconds per side until fragrant and slightly blistered—do not let them scorch or your salsa will turn bitter. Transfer the chiles directly into your blender jar.

   2 min

   Tip: Pasilla gives you that moody, raisin-dark richness without setting your palate on fire before your first sip of coffee.

2. 2

   In the same dry, screaming skillet, lay 4 medium Roma tomatoes cut-side down along with 1/2 medium white onion and 3 garlic cloves. Char undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes until blackened in spots, then flip and blister the other sides for 2 minutes. Tip everything into the blender with the toasted chiles.

   6 min

   Tip: Those charred black specks are deliberate flavor freckles; they give Oaxacan salsa that distinctive comal smoke.

3. 3

   Pour 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth and 1/2 tsp kosher salt into the blender with the charred vegetables. Puree on high speed for 60 to 90 seconds until silky smooth. Taste it—then decide if it needs a pinch more salt right now before it hits the hot fat.

   2 min

   Tip: If your blender needs help catching, splash in 2 tablespoons of water, but keep it thick—it will loosen when simmered.

4. 4

   Return the skillet to medium heat and warm 1 tbsp olive oil. Add 1 small zucchini (calabacita) with a pinch of 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Sauté for 3 minutes until tender-crisp and lightly golden on the edges.

   3 min

   Tip: Mom math: doing this quick sauté gives the dish sweet vegetable crunch so the poached eggs aren't sitting in flat broth.

5. 5

   Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil around the zucchini, then pour in the blended pasilla salsa. It will hiss and sputter aggressively—that's the classic salsa frita sear unlocking the sugars. Stir in 1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano and submerge 1 fresh epazote sprig. Bring to a hearty simmer for 3 minutes until slightly deepened in color and thickened.

   3 min

   Tip: If the sauce gets too tight, splash in a couple tablespoons of broth; you want a gentle poaching bath, not paste.

6. 6

   Turn heat to medium-low. Use the back of a spoon to create 4 shallow nests in the bubbling sauce. Crack 4 large eggs directly into the indentations, one by one. Season the top of each yolk with the remaining 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Tuck 4 oz Oaxacan quesillo into the pockets between and around the eggs.

   2 min

   Tip: Crack each egg into a small teacup first if you want zero shell drama while the sauce bubbles.

7. 7

   Cover the skillet tightly with a lid or a sheet of aluminum foil. Let gently simmer over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until the whites are fully opaque and set, the yolks are still soft and jammy, and the quesillo is gloriously melted and stretchy. Meanwhile, warm 8 corn tortillas on a dry comal or skillet and keep them wrapped warm in a clean kitchen towel.

   5 min

   Tip: Do not wander off to check your phone—eggs go from velvety jammy to hard-boiled in under a minute.

8. 8

   Remove skillet from heat. Scatter 1/4 cup quick pickled red onions, 1 avocado cut into slices, and 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves over the top. Serve immediately right out of the skillet with 1 lime cut into wedges for squeezing and the hot tortillas for scooping.

   2 min

   Tip: The bright hit of lime and pickled onion cuts straight through the richness of the yolk and quesillo. That finishing move wakes up the whole table.