03.20.12

Well, it seems I need another kitchen tool: a tortilla press. Seriously, did you ever think this Italian-momma, who had an Italian-momma (okay, Italian by marriage) would be hand making whole wheat flour tortillas and now corn tortillas??

My husband asked me if it was easy. My response? "I thought that the flour tortillas were easy. This was stupid-easy!" And I swear I will never use a store-bought corn tortilla again. What was I thinking all these years?

The most difficult thing about this new project was finding the masa harina. Since I didn't exactly know what I was looking for I first bought a package of masarepa. Then I did some research on masa harina. Before the corn is ground it is treated with lime which gives the masa harina it's distinct tortilla flavor. The lime also reacts with the corn and allows niacin to be absorbed. Bonus! I eventually found masa harina at a market in town under the name "Maseca". I had originally found a recipe for corn tortillas online, but I ended up using the recipe on the bag of the Maseca bag.

Corn Tortillas (makes 16 six inch tortillas)

2 cups Maseca
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp salt

Mix the maseca and water until it forms a loose dough. Add a tablespoon of water if you think it is too dry. Use your hands to bring the dough together and then form 16 balls of dough. Keep these balls under a damp kitchen towel while you form your tortillas.

Preheat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Place one ball between two sheets of plastic wrap, press it into a disc, then roll it out until it is about 6 inches in diameter. I never got the tortillas to be round. But, they looked pretty decent.

When your skillet is hot place the tortilla in the skillet and cook it on one side 50 seconds, flip it over and cook it another 30 seconds. I woefully undercooked the first couple of tortillas. Make sure your skillet is HOT and cook the first side until the tortilla is a bit puffy and a little browned.

Keep your cooked tortillas warm under a towel on a plate. I made enchiladas out of mine about an hour after I made the tortillas. I'm sure they would keep in the refrigerator or freezer for a while if you kept them airtight.

I used a recipe from Joyful Momma's Kitchen for these White Chicken Enchiladas with sour cream and green chile sauce.  I also made some flautas for the kids (they are against anything saucy) by filling the tortillas with some plain chicken and monterey jack cheese, rolling them up and frying them in a small amount of canola oil. They came out crispy and tasty...my husband ate the ones the kids didn't want, dipping them in the enchilada sauce that was left in the dish!