Skip to main content

Befana's Tortilla Press in Action

By

If you're Italian, you probably know who Befana is. If you're not, she's a good witch who brings presents to kids on Epiphany - January 6th. So, yes, I lie to my kids not only about Santa, in December, but about Befana, in January. I'm sure there's a special place in hell for this sort of parental deception.

Last year, R had been asking for a new tortilla press; his old one is aluminium and has some corrosion on it. I told him to just use parchment paper so our food doesn't touch the corrosion. But, behind the scenes, I found one made of wood and "Befana" left it for him.

Funny side note: he actually said, "Mom, I know you're not Befana because you told me I didn't need a new press. Befana disagrees with you." Okay.

So, one night a few weeks ago, at already 30 minutes beyond his usual bedtime, we had this conversation...

"Mom, I need to bring 35 tortillas to Spanish class tomorrow."

What??! It's 9 o'clock. I am not going to the store right now.

"Oh, no...I'm going to make them."

So, till almost 11 o'clock, he rolled, pressed, and cooked three dozen tortillas all by himself. I was amazed and oddly relieved that I didn't have to do it.

The Precise Kitchen Elf's Corn Tortillas

Ingredients
  • 6 C masa harina
  • 4-1/2 C warm water
  • 2 t freshly ground salt
  • 2 T olive oil
  • corn meal for rolling
  • oil for cooking
  • Also needed: parchment paper, tortilla press


Procedure
Put masa flour in a large mixing bowl. Add water, salt, and olive oil. Mix in and let sit for 5 minutes or so. Begin working the masa with your hands to make the dough. Knead the dough for several minutes. If at any point through the tortilla making process the dough seems too dry or too wet, add a little more water or masa to the dough. Let stand for 30 minutes.


Take a piece of the masa dough and shape it into a ball the size of a plum, or slightly large golf ball.


Take two pieces of wax paper or parchment paper and lay one on the bottom of the tortilla press. Place the masa ball in the center. Place another piece of wax paper over the masa ball. Gently close the press and press down, until the dough has spread to a diameter of 4-6 inches.


Heat a griddle or a large skillet on high heat. Working one at a time, hold a tortilla in your hand, carefully removing the wax paper on each side. Allow the tortilla to rest half on your hand, and half hanging down, and gently lay the tortilla down on to the skillet. Start working on pressing the next tortilla. Cook the tortilla on the hot pan for 30 seconds to a minute on each side. The tortilla should be lightly toasted and little air pockets forming.


Just a note on "Befana's Tortilla Press" I found this one on Etsy at Central Coast Woodwork. It's fantastic, functional, and gorgeous. Thanks to my friend Shelby for the recommendation.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

By
If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce
1 comment
Read more

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

By
To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P
9 comments
Read more

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

By
photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an
183 comments
Read more