Tortillas
People can be very opinionated about which tortillas they prefer when crafting their tacos and to enjoy with other Mexican fare. Both are tasty and can be served up crispy or soft. While here in the US, we’re fond of flour tortillas, in most of Mexico, corn tortillas are standard. Heartier tacosand burritos tend to work best with flour tortillas so you can stuff them full and really taste the fillings. They’re also the go-to choice for most quesadillas and to accompany fajitas. But it’s the more flavorful corn tortillas that we want fried up into chips for our queso, guac, and nachos.They’re also good for adding robust flavor as hard shells for lighter tacos (fish, shrimp, al pastor), enchiladas, and tostadas. One thing that’s certain no matter whether you choose corn or flour is that fresh, homemade tortillas are better than re-heated store bought tortillas. We’ve got you covered with recipes for each.
Flour Tortillas (on the grill)
Ingredients:
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. shortening (or lard), cubed
1 c. warm water
3/4 tsp. salt
olive oil
Preparation:
Place flour in medium bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles fine meal. Combine water and salt, stirring to dissolve. Add two-thirds of water mixture to flour mixture, mixing lightly with a fork until clumps form. Mix in remaining water mixture, 1 Tbsp. at a time, just until dough starts to come together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough gently and shape into a ball. Wrap ball with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes. Preheat grill to medium heat for 10 - 15 minutes. Unwrap and transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball into a circle about 8 inches in diameter. Brush each side of the tortillas with olive oil. Grill tortillas in batches, making sure they don’t overlap, until grill-marked, about 1-2 minutes per side. The longer you cook, the more stiff the tortilla will be. (As an alternative to using the grill, tortillas may be cooked, one at a time, in an ungreased large non-stick frypan over medium heat until light golden, about 1-2 minutes per side.)
Corn Tortillas (using tortilla press)
Ingredients:
2 c. masa harina
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 c. hot water
Preparation:
Prepare the tortilla press and cover with plastic by cutting a large zip-top plastic bag open along the sides. Open the tortilla press and lay the opened bag on top. (The plastic can be reused indefinitely; just wipe it clean of any dough after each use.) For dough, mix masa harina and salt together in mixing bowl. Pour in water and stir to combine. Knead the dough using your handsfor a minute or two in the bowl. Dough is ready when it's smooth, but no longer sticky, and easily forms a springy ball in your hand. (Adjust as needed: If the dough absorbs all the water but is still dry and crumbly, add water one Tbsp. at a time. If the dough feels sticky, paste-like, or gummy, add more masa one Tbsp. at a time.) If you have the time, cover bowl with a towel and rest the dough for 15 to 30 minutes. Pinch off a few tablespoons of dough and roll it between your hands to form a ball roughly the size of a ping-pong ball. This will make roughly a 6-inch tortilla, and you can adjust the amount of dough you use to make larger or smaller tortillas. Place ball of dough in middle of plastic-covered tortilla press. Fold other side of plastic bag over top of dough. Bring top of press down over dough, then press with handle to flatten dough to about 1/8-inch thick. If the tortilla doesn't look quite even after pressing or you'd like it a little thinner, rotate tortilla in plastic and re-press. Peel away top of plastic, flip tortilla over onto your palm, and peel off back of plastic. You can either cook tortillas one by one as you press them, or you can press all the tortillas and then cook them. Keep both the dough and the stack of pressed tortillas covered with clean towels. If you choose to press all the tortillas and then cook them, be careful when peeling each tortilla off the stack because they may stick to each other or break around the edges, especially the ones on the bottom. **Note: If you do not have a tortilla press, you can use a rolling pin to flatten the tortillas, though it's trickier to make perfectly round tortillas. Start in the middle and roll out to the edges. Another trick is to flatten the tortillas beneath a heavy skillet.
Warm a large, flat cast iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Gently position as many tortillas in pan as will fit in a single layer without overlapping. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until edges are starting to curl up and bottoms look dry and pebbly. Flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. When done, both sides should be dry to the touch and beginning to show some brown, toasted spots. As you take cooked tortillas off griddle, stack them up and wrap them in a clean kitchen towel. The tortillas will be a bit dry and brittle just off the griddle, but will continue to steam and soften inside the towel as you finish cooking the rest. Serve immediately, or cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days. **Note: If you don’t have a cast iron skillet or griddle: If you cook the tortillas in stainless steel, brush the pan with a thin layer of oil between batches to help keep the tortillas from sticking. If you cook in a nonstick skillet, lower the heat to medium and cook the tortillas a little longer.
