By Carolyn Hollis
More than 10,000 years ago before stoves and frying pans, Aztecs were grinding corn into masa to make tortillas.
They added water to the meal to create thick dough for corn tortillas. Then they rolled the dough into balls, flattened and cooked them.
Today, corn tortillas are prepared much the same ways. Ingredients remain consistent but technology has made the process faster.
In the United States today, tortillas are in high demand. Only white bread is a bigger seller. Now then come in white and corn varieties and flavors such as jalapeno, spinach and tomato.
Those who want to cook with store-purchased tortillas may find the task cumbersome and messy.
Manhattanite Sergio Ramos was born and raised in Mexico. “My family has been making corn tortillas for decades, yet still when we get together we always try different recipes. For example, we tried adding garlic, cinnamon, and other various spices to change the taste of the corn tortillas,” he said.
He offers suggestions on making tortillas and cooking with them.
- Always fill a tortilla when it is hot, he said. Cool tortillas tend to harden and break before they can become enchiladas or other dishes.
- Add a hint of flavor to the tortillas by dipping them into red or green enchilada sauce and baking them in the oven.
- Wrap corn tortillas in a cloth or foil, then set out for people to use.
Using tortillas in art work? That’s another story. “Tortilla art” uses baked tortillas covered in acrylic for a canvas, then painted. This art is typically seen in the Latino culture, but is showing up in several southern states of the U.S.
Corn Tortillas
Yields 16 tortillas
2 cups Masa Harina
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cups hot water plus 2 to 3 tablespoons
1 teaspoon shortening
Mix the Masa Harina and the water; knead to form masa (dough). Pinch off a golf-ball sized piece of masa and roll it into a ball. Set the masa ball on a piece of wax paper in the tortilla press; cover with another piece of wax paper. Press.
Transfer the tortilla to a hot, dry skillet. Cook for about 30 seconds on one side; gently turn. Cook for about 60 seconds (it should puff slightly); turn back to the first side. Cook for another 30 seconds on the first side. Remove and keep the tortilla warm.
