Valrhona cocoaI I tho. in been discovered Dee Dee, Here is the recipe verbatum from the 1943 edition of the Joy of Cooking. I have some advice based on 50 years of experience...
I have made them once, and the recipe I used just called for a rolling pin. Worked fine. The recipe was from The Complete Mexican Cookbook by Lourdes Nichols.
Tortillas de Harina
500g plain white or wholemeal flour 1 tbsp salt 75g lard, cubed (I didn't have any lard, and wasn't going out to buy it so used butter - they tasted fine to me, but I'm sure would be more authentic with lard) 300ml hot water
Put the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, add the fat and rub in till mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix in hot water to make a soft, warm, pliable dough. Turn dough on to a floured surface and knead until no longer sticky. Cover with a warm, damp tea towel. Shape about 50g dough into a ball the size of a plum, then flatten it. Place on a floured board and with a floured rolling pin roll it out until it is thin enough to see the board through the pastry (this took quite a In the book the author says not to worry about whether the tortillas are perfectly round, as you can trim them by cutting round a plate. Put the tortillas on a floured tray when rolled, making sure there is enough flour on them to stop them sticking together. Don't stack more than two high when raw.
Heat a dry griddle or heavy based frying pan until a few drops of water sizzle on it, then reduce heat to moderate. Pick up a tortilla and place carefully on hot griddle. Leave it for about 30 seconds; as it cooks it will thicken a little. When it starts to bubble, turn it over and cook for a further 10 seconds. At this stage the tortilla will have lost its transparency, but will still look very pale. This does not matter, as it will cook a little more when you warm it up. If you overcook it, it will become dry and brittle and will not be supple enough to fold. Stack the tortillas on a wire rack, wrapped in a clean tea-towel.
Re Leftover food tonightOn Thu, 23 Feb 2006 13:01:20 -0500, "Nancy Young" I guess that's part of the motivation on my part. Food is actually a heavily symbolic category in our lives. Not for nothing do Christians...
When all tortillas are cooked and cool, place a square of waxed paper between each one to prevent them from sticking together. Store in a sealed polythene bag.
-- Rhonda Anderson Cranebrook, NSW, Australia
