Making Corn Tortillas

So when I traveled to Texas last year, I bought a tortilladora. It's been a very long time since I made corn tortillas, and I miss having them. There is no comparison with the corn tortillas you buy in a bag at the store. Those are sad floppy replicas of the real things. Besides, my kids hate those, so maybe they'd like mine - they used to when they were little.

First things first: putting it together. The handle had to go on, which meant a cotter pin coming out, and this is why I carry a multi-tool.

Corn tortillas are about the easiest thing I make. Two ingredients: masa flour, and water. There's no substitute for masa. It's slaked corn that has been treated with lime, and in that chemical reaction, nutrients that are normally inaccessible to the human digestion system are released. It's pretty amazing, actually, and it's this process that made some of the great civilizations of the South Americas possible. Which they wouldn't have known why, just that it was part of what they did. So cool.

This is all there is.

Anyway, the ratio is approximately 2 cups of the masa to 1 1/2 cups water. You can add a pinch of salt, I usually do.  I say approximate because this is something you will be doing by feel. You may have to add a little less, a little more (I usually have to do a bit more) in order to have dough that feels and looks a lot like playdough. The texture is fun. If you have little kids they will like it, too. I always gave up a ball each to the littles when I made this years ago.

It shouldn't be sticky at all. Don't worry, you can't overwork it like bread, there's no gluten in this.

Now! Time to make the tortillas. When I first learned to make them, I was taught to use a liner on the tortilladora before pressing them. They will stick otherwise, and no, greasing doesn't work. Start a griddle or flat pan (cast iron is best) on medium high heat and brush it very lightly with lard (bacon grease works, too, and it's tasty). I use a gallon Ziploc bag, with the zip and two side seams cut off, for my polyethylene liner. The tortilla releases very nicely from this with some practice.

Don't put the ball, which is slightly smaller than an egg, in the direct middle.

Fold the upper plate over, keeping the liner smooth, and then bring the handle across and press gently. If you press too hard, your tortilla will be too thin and tear. Don't worry, just ball it back up and try again. Don't put the ball in the center - look at the direction of force. You're applying first from one side, then down. If you put the ball slightly toward the hinge of the plates, the resulting tortilla will be centered on your plates and liner.

Tortilla! Ready to flip from hand to pan.

Pick up the tortilla and the liner, flip the tortilla on your palm, and peel the liner off carefully. Then flip the tortilla onto the hot, greased pan. Let it cook for about 30 seconds to a side, while you press out the next one. Lather, rinse, repeat until done. This recipe makes about 16. I wash and save my liner, just as I was taught, so it's ready for the next batch.

Roast chicken, pico de gallo, and a fresh corn tortilla. Mmmmmm

Serve as a side dish, leftovers can be cut into quarters and deep fried into chips, the applications for tortillas are near infinite. Sadly, my children do not like mine - it's the texture of the corn, they say. I'll have to try them again as chips. Or just keep them all to myself.