Of all the things I expected to miss about life in the USA, fresh corn tortillas weren’t on the list. They’re not available in the supermarkets here. But masa flour is, so I’ve learned how to make them myself. What took me so long? Now I make them so regularly they’re threatening to replace my life-long love, potatoes!

But first things first. If you’re going to make tortillas, you need a pretty cloth to keep them warm. The traditional tortilla warmer is a round pocket, but I thought a double-sided square cloth would be useful for  serving bread, too.

For the lace edging I used one skein of Allhemp3. It’s crisp and hardy and seemed like it would survive the regular washing my cloth will need. I used two 3.25mm double pointed needles. I find short needles easier for such a narrow strip of knitting.

Cast on 5 stitches.

Row 1. K4, yo, k1–6sts

Row 2. K4, yo, k2tog.

Row 3. K5, yo, k1–7sts

Row 4. K5, yo, k2tog.

Row 5. k6, yo, k1–8sts

Row 6. K6, yo, k2tog.

Row 7. K4, ssk, yo, k2tog–7sts

Row 8. K5, yo, k2tog.

Row 9. K3, ssk, yo, k2tog–6sts

Row 10. K4, yo, k2tog.

Row 11. K2, ssk, yo, k2tog–5sts

Row 12. K3, yo, k2tog.

Repeat rows 1-12 until the lace is 160 cm long.

For the cloth, I cut two 40 cm squares of fabric, and sewed them together, right sides facing in, on the sewing machine, leaving a 10 cm gap on one side for turning out. I used blanket stitch and the same hemp yarn to sew the straight edge of the lace to the cloth.

If you don’t have time to knit your own edging, you can use a pretty cotton lace like this one.

and now, the tortillas.

you need:

1. masa flour. I found it at Mexican Specialties, a cafe run by a cute, very exuberant couple from Mexico City. Their food is superb (treat yourself to Saturday lunch) and they sell all kinds of Mexican supplies, from spices to blouses.

When I was in New York I was amazed at how many brands of masa flour there were at the Pioneer market on Lafayette in Brooklyn. So inexpensive too!

2. a tortilla press, also sold at Mexican Specialties. I found an identical one at Sur La Table in New York (India is now making her own tortillas, too. It’s infectious)

3. a little vegetable oil.

4. a griddle or heavy skillet.

and now, to make the tortillas….

Take 2 cups of the flour. Add 1 cup of water and a little oil. This will make approximately 12 tortillas.

Mix it up until it forms a ball. Add more water if it’s too dry. You don’t want your tortillas to be crumbly.

Form the dough into small balls approximately 4-5 cm in diameter. These will make 15 cm diameter tortillas.

Here they are ready to be pressed. Cover them with a damp cloth to keep them moist.

Here’s my magnificent press. It’s made of cast iron, covered with a curious silver paint, which I think is why I was advised not to wash it after use, rather to wipe it clean. It’s heavy, which is a good thing. I’ve tried a lightweight press, but the tortillas weren’t as thin.

Take 2 pieces of plastic wrap. For those who cringe at the use of plastic, I’m with you, except that I’ve tried baking paper, brown paper and foil, and the plastic wrap worked best.

Lay one sheet of plastic on the press then place a ball slightly “above” the centre of the circle toward the handle. I used to place it in the centre until my clever India discovered that slightly above the centre is the best place for achieving a nice round tortilla. Something about the angle when you press down, I think.

Place the second sheet of plastic over the ball.

and now, the fun part. Press down on the lid, and use the lever to press further.

Have a pan ready on the stove, heating. No grease or oil is needed for this part of the cooking.

Peel the top layer of plastic from the tortilla, then take it in your hand and peel away the bottom layer of plastic. Do not attempt to peel the tortilla off the plastic. It will fall apart if you do.

It is possible to press all the tortillas and keep them in a pile, but they tend to stick to each other, which means layers of paper to separate them. here’s where I copy the Tortilla Lady, seen at the stove behind the ordering window at my other favorite Mexican place La Super-Rica Taqueria in Santa Barbara. She presses each one just before it goes on the griddle.

Place the first tortilla in the moderately heated pan and cook for 30 seconds, one side, 45 seconds the other side, then turn to back for another  20 seconds or until brown specks appear. Cover the tortillas to keep them soft and pliable once they’re cooked.

You’ll end up with a pile of sweet round tortillas like this. Don’t fret about your first few attempts. Expertise comes fast and even the broken or misshapen pieces can be fried into chips, after all.

You can keep your tortillas wrapped in a cloth, plastic wrap of foil, and refrigerated until you need them.

When I’m feeling really indulgent I like to fry them. Mmmmm. Try them with fresh guacamole and salsa.

For the healthier option, cook them briefly (both sides) on the gas flame. Also delicious.

Buen apetito!

ps. thank you to Lisa, aka sundayhotpants, for the idea of how to include my new love, tortilla-making, on a knitting blog.

–Mel

This entry was posted on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 11:15 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.