Handmade Corn Tortillas

Third Times A Charm...

I attempted corn tortillas on Saturday night...fail. I made them again Sunday afternoon...fail. I attempted one last time on Sunday night...EPIC WIN!
Corn Tortillas-2 Robin-1
Not that anyone is keeping score.

But I wanted to share with you my meal; Fresh Peach Pico de Gallo, Shredded Chicken and Handmade Corn Tortillas.
I made this meal with my friend Jessica-Rae. I called her up the moment I wanted to learn to make these because she shares the same passion for food that I have. She is quite the incredible girl. She's a creative genius. She holds the best parties and writes stories more incredibly interesting than Ernest Hemingway. On top of that, she is literally one of the most generous people I know. The things she has done for people, I don't have time to list here. She is bold, she is uber intelligent and drop dead gorgeous. She is one of my best friends and I am so proud of her. 

Let's start with the Corn Tortillas...which should be easy for you because I have already made all the mistakes and worked out the kinks!

Ariel Moreland "The Adventures of Maseca Flour"

Handmade Corn Tortillas

 

What You Will Need:

Masa Harina** (I found this bag in the international section at Food Lion for $1.39)

Water 

Salt

Cast Iron Skillet

**These Tortillas are Gluten Free!

Really important-make sure that you get the right type of flour. Regular corn meal does not work as tortilla flour is specially treated with lime and cooked and dried appropriately for tortillas. 
For ingredient measurements, follow directions on the bag and mix together the ingredients. You should have a dough that is slightly wet but doesn't stick to your hands. If it sticks, add more flour until it comes to the correct consistency. Now, these are simple to make but can be a bit tricky if you don't follow each step. Trust me. I have failed twice. 

So, start by rolling a golf ball-sized ball of dough. While you are making the individual tortillas, keep a damp paper towel covering your original bowl of dough to keep it moist.

For your golf ball-sized dough ball, lay a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and put the ball of dough on top. Warning: learn from my mistakes and use the plastic. Sometimes I believe rules were not made for me and this is one of those times. I learned my lesson. Next, top the dough with another piece of plastic wrap. Then take a pie pan or a heavy pot and put it on top of the dough ball and press down. Now, in order to get the size you want, you will need to do this about 3 to 4 times. IMPORTANT: after each time you flatten the dough, you need to pull the top piece of plastic off and put it back on, flip it over and do the same to the other side. This will keep it from sticking.
Once you have the appropriate size tortilla, it's time to cook it. You will be making these one at a time. They're not like pancakes which can be cooked 10 at a time, so be patient. They only take a couple of minutes each. I cooked mine in a cast iron pan. You don't need any oil...another mistake I made, though I found that if you fry them in coconut oil, they are DELICIOUS but do not hold up well as tacos.
So add your tortilla into your already hot, dry pan. Medium heat is good for a cast iron skillet. DO NOT TOUCH IT OR FLIP IT until the edges start to come up off the bottom of the pan (I epically failed at this the 2nd time. Honestly I wouldn't even look at them. Just let them sit). It will take anywhere from 30-60 secs. Once that happens, flip and cook the other
side. 
When the tortilla is done, keep it in a tortilla warmer or in an oven set to about 200 degrees. Make sure to cover them with a damp towel if you keep them in the oven.

I made the tortillas last so that they were hot and fresh. Here are the two items that I filled them with:  

 

Pico De Gallo Credit: Jessica-Rae

Fresh Peach Pico De Gallo

(Made by Jessica-Rae)

What you will need:

3 Ripe Peaches
1 Red Onion
1 Jalapeno
2 Tomatoes
5 Sprigs of FRESH Cilantro
1 TBSP White Wine Vinegar
Sea Salt

Roughly chop peaches, tomatoes, jalapeno and red onion and add to a serving bowl. Pull cilantro leaves off stems and add to bowl. Next mix in vinegar and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. 

Shredded Chicken

What you will need:

4 Chicken Breast
No Salt Added Chicken Stock
Water
Onion Powder 
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Cumin
White Pepper
Cinnamon

This is also super easy. I don't always measure out seasonings and ingredients and will go by what I feel. This is how I created this recipe. If you eat as much as I do, you can acquire the same skill. I was really worried about it not coming out right but it was absolutely delicious.  I put the chicken breast in the pot (make sure if you use frozen breast to defrost them first. Always defrost your meat before cooking it or it will be chewy when it's done). Pour no salt added chicken stock into pot covering chicken half way. Generously add onion powder and garlic powder. Not so generously add chili powder, white pepper and cumin (about half the amount of the onion and garlic powder). And in an even less generous manner, add the cinnamon. Next, add enough water to cover the chicken breast completely. Cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes. Cooking meat like this at a lower temperature for a longer amount of time is what causes it to fall apart and easily shred.

Flank Steak Corn Tortillas

Once the chicken is done, remove it from what ever liquid is left; there shouldn't be much. Put it into a bowl and shred it with two forks. You can add it back into the pan with the left over liquid and cook it uncovered until the liquid is ALMOST gone. 

Assemble your tortillas and enjoy!






-RB Xx