Making tortillas (or fun in the kitchen)

Recipes: Corn tortillas, Red chile enchiladas with chicken and cheese

People have fun doing different things - I have fun in the kitchen. That's just me - maybe it's you too. Recently I bought a tortilla press. I love tortillas and food made with tortillas, and I wanted to try making my own.

Home made tortillas would taste fresher and be more tender than tortillas bought in a store - that's what I'd read. Wow, was that an understatement! And I could control what was in them - just masa (corn flour) and filtered water, no preservatives, no fat, no extraneous stuff. They were so easy to make, I have to admit I had a ball turning these things out. I can't imagine why I would ever buy store tortillas again.

When the tortillas were done (and we had eaten a couple hot off the griddle- yum!), I turned them into enchiladas. We had a feast!

Corn Tortillas

• 1-3/4 cup masa harina. This is Mexican corn flour (fine ground corn), and can be found in many grocery stores, especially Mexican stores, and online. A good brand that is somewhat widely available in the U.S. is Maseca. Or Bob's Red Mill brand is also good, if you're ordering online.
• 1 cup water (or filtered water, if you have it)

Measure the masa harina into a bowl and add the water. Mix and knead with your hands until thoroughly combined. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make a plastic shield for your tortilla press. When you look at the photo above closely, do you see the plastic sticking out aroung the edges of the press? I cut the top from a gallon size freezer baggy and then cut the two side edges open. The result was a double plastic square that was open on three sides. You can use this in your press to keep the raw tortilla dough from sticking. It works like a charm.

After 15 minutes, test your dough by pinching it with your fingers. If it is a little crumbly, which it probably will be, sprinkle a tablespoon or two of water over and knead it again just until the water is all mixed in. It should feel like firm cookie dough. Then make 12 balls out of the dough. This makes fairly small traditional tortillas. If you want to make them as large as your press, make 8 balls. From now on you will work with one ball at a time. Keep the others covered with plastic wrap until you're ready for them.

Prepare a basket or dish with a clean dish towel or cloth napkin to receive the finished hot tortillas.

Heat a griddle or a large frying pan on the stove, placing it a bit off-center on your burner so you have one side that is not quite as hot as the other. Take one ball of masa dough, place it in your plastic sleeve in the center of your press, and press it. Viola! You have a perfect little round tortilla. So sweet.

Peel the plastic carefully off the tortilla and flip it gently into the palm of your hand. Place it face down on the less hot side of the griddle. After 30 seconds, use a spatula to turn it over onto the hotter side. After 30 seconds, turn it over again, keeping it on the hot side of the griddle. It should start to puff a bit, and this is good. Encourage it by pressing it down gently with your spatula. After 30 seconds, remove it to your cloth-lined basket, covering it with one end of the cloth to keep it warm.

Continue until you have pressed and baked all the tortilla balls. Now for the enchiladas.

Red Chile Enchiladas with Chicken and Cheese

• 2 medium dried chiles, guajillo, poblano, whatever you choose
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and quartered
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 10 small fresh corn tortillas (because we had already eaten two, so we only had 10 left)
• Sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (like from a rotisserie chicken, or leftover cooked chicken)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded melting cheese, like Chihuahua, Monterey Jack, or cheddar
• Cilantro for garnish

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the chiles, turning them over and pressing them with a spatula until aromatic. If they start to smoke even a little, quit, because they are burning. Add the toasted chiles to a blender jar. Add the garlic, tomatoes with their juice, cumin, and black pepper. Blend until as smooth as possible.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the blended sauce and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 7 minutes. Pour in the broth, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

If your tortillas are not warm, i.e. just made, warm them to make them soft and pliable in a stack in the microwave, wrapped in a damp paper towel, for 10 seconds. Keep them covered with a cloth until you use them. If your tortillas are newly made, skip this step.

Taste the sauce and season with salt, usually about 3/4 teaspoon, and the sugar. Spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a medium baking dish. Stir 1/3 cup sauce into the shredded chicken. Lay a warm tortilla in the baking dish, top with a portion of chicken, fold the tortilla over, and push it to the end of the dish or to the previous filled and folded tortilla. Continue this until you have used all the tortillas and all the chicken filling.

Ladle the remaining sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts and begins to brown. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and you're ready for dinner. Enjoy!!

Pork tenderloin a la Mexicana

Recipes: Mexican home-style pork tenderloin, Fried black beans, Broiled asparagus

Home-style cooking is the best of any cuisine, in my opinion, and the home cooking of Mexico is no exception. Easy and satisfying, the subtle spicing of "real" Mexican food brings a lot of pleasure. Make this staple with boneless pork loin chops, or get one of those small tenderloin roasts and cut it up. It's also delicious with chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs, with chunks of rib eye steak, and with shrimp instead of pork.

I love this dish with fried black beans. You may prefer another kind of beans, or steamed rice. It's all good!

Pork Tenderloin a la Mexicana

Adapted from a recipe in the book that's my bible of Mexican cooking, Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday

• 1 large fresh pasilla or poblano chile
• 3/4 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small or 1/2 large yellow onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 garlic cloves, pelled and finely chopped
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
• 1 small branch fresh epazote*, or a handful of coarsely chopped cilantro

*A word about epazote, which is a green herb used often in Mexican cooking. It's a seasoning that's been used since the time of the Aztecs, and one of its properties is that it reduces gas from eating beans. Epazote is not easy to find in the U.S., although it grows wild in Mexico. If you have grocery stores that carry Mexican products, they may have it. It's easy to grow in mild climates - I have an epazote plant in my herb garden in northern California and so far it's perennial, i.e. it comes back every spring. If you can't find it in your area, just go on without it. There is a certain authentic taste that will be missing, but your food will be delicious anyway.

Roast the pepper over the open flame of your gas burner, or 4 inches below a gas broiler, turning it over regularly until the skin is blistered and blackened all over, about 5 to 10 minutes. If you don't have gas, toast the pepper in a small dry skillet, pressing it down and turning it until the skin is blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with a kitchen towel to steam and cool down.

While the chiles are cooling, pat the meat dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with salt. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add the pork pieces in a single layer and cook, stirring and turning, until browned, about 4 minutes. Remove them to a plate, leaving as much oil as possible behind.

Rub the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the stems and seeds. Rinse the chiles to remove any leftover skin and seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch strips.

Reheat the skillet over medium high. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until richly golden but still crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chile strips and stir for a minute, then pour in the drained tomatoes, broth, Worchestershire, and epazote, if you have it. If you're using cilantro instead, you'll add it later. Bring it all to a boil and let cook until thickened a little, about 5 minutes. Add the meat (and cilantro, if that's what you're using). Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the pork is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.

Taste and season with about 1 teaspoon salt. Remove the epazote sprig, if you used it.

Fried Black Beans

In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon bacon drippings. Add a 15-oz. can of black beans with its liquid and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid cooks away. Watch it carefully toward the end, as you want to catch it just as the liquid evaporates and before it burns. Add sea salt to taste at the end of cooking.

Serve with nearly anything, including the pork tenderloin above.

Broiled (or Grilled) Asparagus

Asparagus is not necessarily served with this dish in Mexico, but I just thought the green was pretty on the plate. And I had asparagus and wanted to use it. Another green vegetable would be good too, or a salsa.

Cut or break the tough ends off, and wash and dry the asparagus stalks. Lay them in a dish that will withstand the broiler heat and that will accommodate them in a single layer. Drizzle olive oil over and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Turn the stalks over with your hands to distribute the oil and salt evenly.

Broil on high for 4 minutes (less if the stalks are very thin), or until the stalks are browned a little. Turn them over and broil again for 2 minutes. If you wish, you can sprinkle them with grated Parmigiana or with a little balsamic vinegar. These are good hot or at room temperature.

If you happen to have the grill on, you can lay the oiled and salted stalks on the hot grill for a couple of minutes, then turn them over until browned, instead of broiling.