The Kitchen Mouse (Posts about mexican)

Tortilla Chips, Tostadas and Taco Shells

Cori Rozentāle — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:00:37 GMT

Last time, I talked about Flour-Corn Tortillas. Once we made those for the first time, it was only a small step to thinking about making our own chips and taco shells. Turns out it's really easy (but probably not a great summertime recipe since it uses the oven and heats up the kitchen).

The neat thing about doing your own taco shells is that you can do the same thing as with the chips - brush them with a bit of oil and sprinkle any kind of seasoning you want. With the flour-corn tortillas, neither tostadas or taco shells seem to be prone to cracking and spilling the contents all over you like with plain corn.

There isn't really any difference between tostadas and taco shells - one is formed into a U-shape, the other is flat. I really like tostadas because it's easier to put a bunch of toppings on and nibble away at the outside. I never seem to be able to fit everything into a little taco! (But then, I always seem to want to put lots into everything. It's just that once I get some beans and some taco meat/tvp and some salsa and some cabbage and some cheese...and I've just exceeded the carrying capacity of a taco shell. Again.)

I can't say that we'll never buy taco shells again... but it'd be a real challenge to put them in the cart. These are so much better!

Tortilla Chips [printable recipe]

1 recipe Flour-Corn Tortillas
non-stick spray or oil
salt
lime juice

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Mist with non-stick spray or lightly brush with oil, then sprinkle lime juice and salt evenly over all. Bake for 7 minutes then rotate pan and cook for another 7 minutes. The chips should be starting to brown. Remove and let cool, they will continue to crisp up.

Taco Shells and Tostadas [printable recipe]

1 recipe Flour-Corn Tortillas, partially cooked

Ideally, cook the tortillas only halfway so they're still somewhat raw but not sticky - about 30 seconds per side.

For Tacos: Remove one of the racks from the oven.

Preheat the oven (minus the rack) to 350F. Carefully place each tortilla so that it hangs over two bars of the rack. It's okay if the edges touch, they shouldn't stick together.

Re-hang the rack in the oven, making sure you place it high enough that the tortillas don't drag or touch the other rack(s).

For Tostadas: Brush tortillas with a bit of oil, sprinkle some seasoning or salt over, then simply lay them flat on the pre-heated oven rack or on a sheet pan.

Bake for 10 minutes and check. If they are turning brown and seem hard enough, go ahead and remove them. If they're still soft-ish, let them bake for another few minutes.

For the taco shells, I found it was best to set up a cooling rack and place them so they could continue to hang from the rack. (I set the rack on top of some tall glasses to get the necessary clearance.) That way they weren't tempted to close up if some were a little softer than others. (My oven doesn't heat evenly.)

Flour-Corn Tortillas

Cori Rozentāle — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:00:14 GMT

We've tried making corn tortillas at home but it's really, really hard. Oh sure, the recipe itself is easy - it's no trouble at all to get a good dough going. The problem, however, is when you try to press them in the tortilla press (which we splurged on when it went on sale at the local Hispanic market). They stick or they crack and on the rare occasion when they don't do either, they wait and do it in the pan. Or on the plate.

Frustrating. I know it can be done, but I think there's a lot of experience behind it. Honestly though, it can be so frustrating that we wind up picking up a batch from the market, like a pack of 36 blue corn tortillas. (Yum, by the way.)

So, when Suzanne over at Chickens in the Road posted about her flour-corn tortillas that fix all of those problems, I knew we had to try them since the gluten in the flour helps keep the tortilla soft and bendable.

Well, it's now our go-to recipe for tortillas. We actually like them a bit better than just plain flour or corn tortillas!

On Friday, I'll post how to make chips, tostadas and taco shells out of these guys - they're fantastic!

And, as with all tortillas, these can be easily frozen and used later. Don't be afraid to make a big batch if you're up to pressing a bunch out. Just toss them into the freezer in a freezer bag for later.

Flour-Corn Tortillas [printable recipe]

Lightly adapted from Suzanne's recipe on Farm Bell Recipes
Makes about 16 taco-sized tortillas

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups masa harina
1 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp lard
1 to 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Stir together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. With a fork or your fingers, work in the lard until fully incorporated. Add about one cup of water and continue to work the dough. Add only enough water to bring it together into a soft, pliable dough. Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle a bit of flour (either one) over the top and knead for a few minutes. If the dough is a bit wet, add more flour. It should not be sticky, but satiny. Turn out onto a floured board and cut into 16 pieces. (Easiest way to do this is divide the dough in half, then each ball in half, continuing until you have 16 little balls.)

Set a cast-iron skillet over high heat. While it heats, begin to press out some tortillas.

If you have a tortilla press: Lay some wax paper, parchment, plastic wrap or a cut-up freezer bag over the plates. Place a little dough ball somewhat off-center towards the hinge, then press. Open the press and carefully peel off the tortilla.

If you don't have a press: Roll out each dough ball on either a floured surface or a silicone sheet until it's quite thin and about 5"-6" / 12 - 15 cm across.

Place the raw tortilla on the hot skillet. Fry each side for about a minute - small brown patches should appear. If not, the skillet's not hot enough or you're not frying long enough.

While the first tortilla cooks, press the next. Don't get ahead on either step - you don't want the raw tortillas to dry out. Place the cooked tortillas on a plate and cover them with a towel or keep them in the oven on Warm.

Tacos de Verdolaga con Achiote Frijoles Recado y Guacamole

Cori Rozentāle — Fri, 28 May 2010 10:00:16 GMT

All this week, I've been attempting to tempt you with delicious recipes for delectable Mexican food. Now, as promised, here's one way to wrap it all up together.

I speak, of course, of the humble taco.

While both of the recipes previously work wonderfully on their own and can be used with many varied meals, they go nicely together and fantastically well if you tie them together with a bit of guacamole.

Guacamole with Tomatoes [printable recipe]

Serves 2

1 large, ripe Hass avocado
1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 large or 2 regular cloves of garlic, crushed
1 Roma tomato, or similar, finely chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 jalapeno or serrano, seeded and minced
1/4 tsp cumin
1 pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mash together thoroughly.

. . .

I strongly encourage you to make these three recipes, pick up some soft wheat tortillas and have a taco night. It's worth it, trust me.

Tacos are one of the great foods that really don't need a recipe. But, for my sake (and yours too), here's a "recipe" that links to all of the recipes used for the component parts.

Tacos de Verdolaga con Achiote Frijoles Recado y Guacamole

Serves 2

1 recipe Verdolaga Sauce
1 recipe Achiote Frijoles Recado
1 recipe Guacamole with Tomatoes (above)
6 soft flour tortillas, such as Thick & Fluffy Tortillas

Spread a bit of each on a tortilla, fold in half and enjoy!