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TORTILLAS DE MAIZ Corn Tortillas
I am convinced that the main thing standing between the average cook and truly authentic Mexican cooking is the corn tortilla, and unfortunately this is perhaps the most important element of the cuisine. The reason for this is that most of the corn tortillas sold in the United States are of very poor quality, and preparing corn tortillas from scratch, because of the need to have the dough the right consistency, the heat just right, and the amount of manual dexterity required, is looked upon (wrongly) as an unsurmountable chore.Fortunately technology has come to the rescue in the form of the Tortilla Chef, a waffle iron-like contraption produced by a company called Vitantorio. (I bought mine at Williams-Sonoma). With this device and a little practice, making good corn tortillas is no great chore. Even if you don't want to invest in this appliance or cannot find it you can still learn to make good tortillas with a traditional hand press.
Please note that our store-bought corn tortillas are not all bad. They are actually preferable for making tortilla chips, enchiladas and fried tacos and flautas. The reason for this is that they are very thin and do not have nearly as much moisture as fresh made corn tortillas. This allows them to fry to a crisp texture and they will not absorb as much fat during the frying process. However, when it comes to serving hot tortillas with a meal, or for wrapping fillings for soft tacos, they are no substitute for the real thing.
Corn tortillas are best made with masa ground from nixtamal, which is the dried corn kernals that have been cooked with a little lime to allow the skin to be removed (and the nutrients absorbed by your body). Unfortunately this dough has an even shorter shelf life than prepared tortillas, and the shortage of tortillerías makes it difficult to find for most people. Again, fortunately, decent masa can be prepared using dried, ground corn flour under labels such as Masa Harina and Maseca. In fact (and unfortunately) more and more tortillerías are using this method. I say "unfortunately" because dough made from dried corn does not have the soft elasticity that dough ground directly from nixtamal does. However, much of this disadvantage can be obviated by adding a little all-purpose flour to the dough, a common practice in Mexico. This not only produces a very good result but makes the dough less breakable, and therefore much easier to shape and cook.
Making Corn Tortillas with the Tortilla ChefWhile the Tortilla Chef is an admirable tool the directions provided are not all they should be. If your dough is dry enough so that it does not stick to the hot press when it is opened it will be covered with a spider web of wrinkles and have a poor texture. However, the directions below provide a simple solution to this problem.
2 cups Masa Harina or Maseca
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
1 1/3 cups cold waterPlace the corn flour in a bowl and stir in the sifted flour. Stir in the water, a little at a time, to make a moist dough, adding a little more water, if necessary. Work the dough just until smooth then place it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 1/2 hour. Break off a piece of the dough to test in the Tortilla Chef, then after you are sure it has the proper water content make the rest of the dough balls. For regular size tortillas, break off and roll into balls a little smaller than golf balls. You should have 12 balls.
Open and preheat the Tortilla Chef for 7 - 10 minutes. Place a ball of dough onto the just slightly off center (toward the hinges of the press) and immediately press the dough ball into a tortilla with one quick, firm motion, then quickly open the machine. If the dough is the right consistency it will stick to the top of the press. It the dough releases and remains on the bottom of the press, just add a little more water to the dough and try again. Slide a thin plastic spatula between the dough and the press, beginning at the bottom. If the dough seems determined to stick, simply close the press for about one second, reopen it and try again--you may have to repeat this process on the first couple of tortillas until you have the timing down, but after this they should go quickly. Ease the dough on to the bottom of the press and allow it to bake for about 30 seconds, then turn it and cook on the other side, at which point the tortilla should begin to puff. The tortilla is done when the dough is just cooked through. Place the completed tortilla in a tortilla warmer or wrap in a towel and prepare the remaining tortillas in the same way. Because the Tortilla Chef can accommodate only 1 tortilla at a time the process can seem a little slow. But it can be speeded up considerably if you heat a large skillet or comal over medium heat and use it as an extra cooking surface.
Making Corn Tortillas with a Traditional Tortilla PressIf you are not using the Tortilla Chef, first heat two heavy skillets, one over medium heat the other a little hotter. Press the dough balls between layers of smooth plastic (large zip lock bags cut into circles a little larger than your tortilla press are ideal). Peel off the top layer of plastic and invert the pressed dough onto the palm of your hand, then peel off the remaining layer of plastic.
Lay the dough onto the comal in a sweeping motion. This is done by allowing the portion of the dough that overlaps the side of your hand with the little finger to touch the comal, then carefully slide your hand out from under the rest of the tortilla so that it lands neatly onto the skillet. Allow it to cook for about 30 to 45 seconds. It should no longer stick to the pan. If it does, raise the heat. With a spatula flip the tortilla, uncooked side down, onto the hotter pan and allow it to cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Turn the tortilla, keeping it in the hotter skillet. At this point it should begin to puff. If it does not it probably means that the heat is not high enough. Sometimes you can encourage the puffing by "tickling" the tortilla with the spatula by passing it lightly over its top as if you were tickling it. Continue cooking for 30 to 40 seconds or until the tortilla is cooked through, then place it into a tortilla warmer or wrap it in a towel. Leave the tortillas to steam for about 10 minutes. This is very important as the steaming finishes the cooking process, creating a softer and much more flexible tortilla. Corn tortillas can be reheated successfully in a microwave at medium heat, wrapped in a slightly moistened towel.
