AboutBilly Mo Expertise all kinds of ethnic cooking. I have traveled to many countries and have learned to cook many different kinds of food. If you need a recipe most likely I have it...
Experience I taught myself Spanish and I've travelled all over Central America learning local dishes and recipes.
Question I am trying to find recipe(s)for flavored tortillas used in wraps. All I have been able to find is sites that sell the things. What I want is to make them myself, that way I can adapt the flavors to my own cuisine. If you can help me, I would very much appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Answer Hi Sherry,
Sure I can help..
CHILE BLACK PEPPER TORTILLAS
This produces an earthy-flavored burnished red tortilla that looks as good as it tastes.
INGREDIENTS:
-- 1 cup masa harina
-- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-- 1 tablespoon chile powder
-- 1/2 teaspoon salt
-- 2/3 cup water
-- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
INSTRUCTIONS: Stir together masa, pepper, chile powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Gradually add the water, stirring with a fork until you have a soft dough.
Sprinkle flour on a work surface. Turn out dough and knead for 1 minute. Cover dough with an upside-down mixing bowl; let rest for 20 minutes. Cut 2 squares of plastic wrap large enough to fit the tortilla press. Place on bottom of the press. Pinch off a small ball of dough (about a tenth of the dough) and put in the press. Cover with second piece of plastic. Gently press. (You don't want a paper-thin tortilla or you will have difficulty peeling it off the plastic.) Gently peel off top piece of plastic by starting from the side nearest the handle. Peel off bottom plastic by gently peeling from the handle side. If you find the dough or tortilla is difficult to handle, sprinkle remaining dough with a few teaspoons of all-purpose flour, knead and press the next tortilla. (If you press tortillas all at once before cooking, cover them as you go with a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.)
Place tortilla on a preheated comal or griddle. Cook for 40 seconds, then lift and look at the bottom. If tortilla is speckled, turn it over and cook for another 40 seconds. These tortillas should be undercooked slightly so they will fold easily into quesadillas without cracking. Repeat with remaining dough.
Yields 10.
Multi-Grain Tortillas
These are modern-day corn and four tortillas, updated with some flavorful specialty flour added. Amaranth flour melds exceptionally well with the flavor of corn flour. Wild amaranth grain was widely used by the Apache and norther Mexico bakers. The tortillas bake up thick and are a good substitute for bread with a calabacitas or posole stew.
Makes twelve 4-inch tortillas
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour
1-1/2 cups blue corn masa harina para tortillas or harinilla
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup amaranth flour or mesquite flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
1) In a medium mixing bowl using your hands or a wooden spoon or in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the unbleached flour, the blue cornmeal, the whole wheat and amaranth flours, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter until crumbly, using a fork or pastry blender if making by hand. Gradually add the hot water to the flour mixture, stirring just until the dough sticks together, clears the sides of the bowl, and a soft firm ball is formed, adding a tablespoon of water at a time if the dough seems too dry. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 45 minutes.
2) To shape the tortillas, divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Shape each into a ball and place on a baking sheet or marble slab. Drape each ball around your forefinger, making a depression on the underside, which makes a mushroom shape and creates an air bubble to help it roll out into an even round. On a very lightly floured work surface, flatten the ball with your palm. (The flattened balls can rest on a greased baking sheet, covered tightly, for 30 minutes longer, if necessary.) Place one of the portions of the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper. Press in a tortilla press, turning at regular intervals, until the desired thickness. Or roll out with a rolling pin to a 4-inch round, 1/4 inch thick. Stack between layers of plastic wrap to prevent drying out while pressing out the remaining dough. Bake as soon as possible.
3) To bake the tortillas, heat a large ungreased heavy cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat until a drop of water dances across the surface. Place the tortillas, one at a time, in the pan, and bake for about 2-1/2 minutes. When the dough looks dry and brown spots are formed, turn over to the other side and bake for 2 to 3 minutes. Keep flipping back and forth until the tortilla is soft, not crisp; it will puff up to l/2 inch thick. It is very easy to overbake, so pay close attention to the timing. Remove each tortilla to a clean towel. Cover until serving.
Once you get a rhythm going, you can roll out a tortilla, put it on to cook and, while it cooks, roll out your next tortilla. Seems like an arduous process but, with this method, I could produce 8 tortillas in about 10 action-packed minutes. Be sure to rewrap your fresh tortillas each time you add another to the stack.
If you like, you can substitute one cup of whole wheat flour for one cup of the all-purpose flour.
My personal preference is for plain tortillas but, if desired, you can spice up this recipe by adding
A tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs (like oregano or rosemary)
A teaspoon or so of dried herbs
Freshly ground black pepper
A tablespoon of minced jalapeņos
A little garlic powder (or substitute garlic salt for the salt)
If you choose to experiment with seasonings, mix dry spices with the flour mixture and fresh or "wet" seasonings with the milk.
My results with the above recipe were outstanding -- chewy, delicious, irresistible.
Sonoran cooks have turned tortilla making practically into an art form. Their tortillas are large (some are pizza-sized), thin and delicate. I followed this fairly standard recipe:
Sonoran Flour Tortillas
2 C Bread flour
1 t Salt
3 T plus 1 teaspoon vegetable shortening
3/4 C Warm water
Mix the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the shortening using a fork, a pastry blender or your fingertips. Gradually add the water, working it in until you have a sticky dough. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 2 or 3 minutes.
Allow the dough to rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Then divide it into 6 or 8 balls of equal size, cover, and allow to rest for 45 minutes to an hour.
Roll each ball of dough, between sheets of waxed paper, as thinly as possible (between 1/16 to 1/8 thick) into a circle. Remove the waxed paper from one side of the tortilla, then, carefully, from the other side. Transfer the tortilla to a hot, dry skillet or griddle. Cook for 10 seconds, turn it, and cook for 10 more seconds, then turn again for 10 more seconds per side. Remove the tortilla, place it in a napkin-lined basket and cover with aluminum foil. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
