Homemade Corn Tortillas

Homemade Corn Tortillas

You’ll never buy store bought again. Homemade corn tortillas are not hard to make or at least they don’t have to be.

Ingredients:

2 cups instant Masa Harina

3/4 teaspoon salt

about 9 oz. hot water

Purchase a tortilla press either at a Latin Food store or online.

Using a gallon size zip-loc bag, cut the zipper portion off and cut down the sides. The end product is one large piece of heavy plastic. The plastic is used in the press to keep the dough from sticking to the press and also ease of removal of the tortilla.

 

In a large bowl whisk together the Masa,and salt until well combined. Pour the hot water into the masa and stir to combine. The dough should not be too dry or too sticky. If too dry add more water, if too sticky add a small amount of masa. Roll the dough into a ball and place back in bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Allow the dough to rest and finish absorbing the water within the dough for about 15-20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and roll into balls. Place on a tray , lightly covered with plastic wrap.

Heat a flat griddle on high heat.

Using the tortilla press lay the plastic over bottom of press with the other half available to lay over the dough ball. Place a dough ball onto the press. Cover the dough ball with the other half of plastic; press gently. Corn tortillas will be slightly thicker than flour tortillas.

Carefully pull the plastic from the top of one side of the tortilla. Flip over onto your hand and again finish removing the rest of the plastic.
Slap the tortilla onto the heated flat griddle and allow to cook there undisturbed for about 45 seconds or until edges begin to curl and tortilla is loosened from griddle. Flip the tortilla and continue to cook on other side until it begins to brown slightly. Flip back on to griddle and cook about 15 seconds more. Wrap the cooked tortillas in a damp kitchen towel. Best if served warm/warmed and the day they are made.

 

 

 

South West Black Bean and Chicken Salad

This salad can easily be converted to a fantastic vegetarian salad simply by omitting the chicken and cooking the quinoa in vegetable stock.

South West Black Bean and Chicken Salad

6 cups cooked shredded chicken

Two 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 green bell paper, roasted , peeled, seeded and julienned

1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and julienned

1 jalapeno seeded, minced

2 cups, chopped Roma tomatoes

1 cup sliced green onions

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn

1 cup quinoa cooked in 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth as directed on package

Lettuce greens

Dressing:

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

2 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lime zest

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper; to taste

In a large bowl add all the ingredients for the salad and toss. Line the serving bowl/platter with lettuce greens; set aside.

Combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk until combined. Pour over the salad and toss. Place on greens lined serving dish.

Potato Tacos

Potato Tacos

ingredients

Potato and Pepper Filling:

• 3/4 lb. red potatoes, unpeeled
• 3 fresh poblano chili peppers, roasted peeled and seeded
• 2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
• 1/2 yellow onion , diced
• 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
• 1/2 cup grated, Cotija cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Ancho Sauce:

• 1 Tomato
• 4 dried ancho chili peppers, stemmed and seeded
• 2 cups hot tap water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 ground black pepper
• 1/2 yellow onion , diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• 2 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• directions

  • 1

    1/2 cup Vegetable oil for frying

  • 2

    12 corn tortillas

  • 3

    Garnish

  • 4

    Grated cotija cheese

  • 5

    shredded cabbage

  • 6

    sliced tomatoes

  • 7

    lime wedges

  • 8

    To make filling, in a saucepan, combine the potatoes with water to cover. Bring to boil until fork tender. Drain and let cool, then cut potatoes into 1/2 inch dice. Place in bowl. Add the poblano chilies, bell peppers, onion and both cheeses, cilantro and stir to mix well. Set aside.

  • 9

    To make the sauce, preheat a broiler. Place the tomato in a small shallow baking pan. Place under broiler 4-6 inches from heat source. Broil turning occasionally, until charred on all sides. Remove from broiler, let cool slightly and cut out core. Set aside.

  • 10

    In a small, dry frying pan over medium heat, toast the chilies, turning once, until fragrant and the skins begin to blister. Remove from the heat and let cool, then place chilies in bowl, add hot tap water and let soak for 15 minutes to soften.

  • 11

    Transfer the chilies and their soaking liquid to a blender and add the salt, pepper, onion, garlic, cumin, vinegar, oregano and roasted tomato. Puree until smooth, then strain through a sieve into shallow bowl. Add chopped cilantro and set aside.

  • 12

    In shallow heavy bottomed pan heat oil. Meanwhile, take tortillas and fill each with potato filling and fold over. Place in batches the filled tortillas in hot oil and fry until golden on each side, about 3 minutes total.

  • 13

    Garnish with cabbage, tomatoes and cheese. Squeeze on lime juice and add ancho sauce to taste.

Chicken Provencal Wrap

Chicken Provencal Wrap

Package of Tomato Basil Wraps; set aside

6 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 red onion, cut in half and sliced into rings

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

one 15 oz. can/jar of water packed quartered artichoke hearts, drained

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoon capers, drained

6 large basil leaves, chiffonade

Dressing:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegsr

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 Roma tomato, diced

2 green onions, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon capers, drained

3 large basil leaves, chiffonade

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup canola oil

salt and pepper; to taste

Hearty Greens

Caramelize the red onion in the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Place cooled caramelized onions in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss.

Line the center of the wrap with hearty greens and add some of the filling; wrap.

Chicken Strawberry Wraps

Chicken Strawberry Wraps

Dressing:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup honey

juice and zest from 1 lime

salt and pepper; to taste

Filling:

1 roasted chicken, skinned and meat shredded

7 oz. soft goat cheese

1/4 cup slated and roasted sunflower seeds

1 lb. strawberries, sliced

5 oz. diced pancetta, cooked crisp and drained

1/2 lb. pencil thin asparagus

Roasted on foil lined baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil , salt and pepper ; to taste. Bake until tender, Cool. Squeeze lime juice over the top of roasted asparagus.

5 oz. baby spinach

5 green onions, sliced

package of 6 count spinach wraps/tortillas

Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk. Adjust seasoning , if needed.

Place wraps out and divide and spread evenly the goats cheese over the top.

Divide the roasted asparagus among the cheese covered wraps. Divide evenly the baby spinach among the wraps .

In a bowl combine the cooked chicken, cooked pancetta, onions and sunflower seeds; toss. Pour dressing over the top of the chicken mixture and toss until combined. Divide evenly among the wraps. Place the sliced strawberries evenly among the wraps. Roll and wrap in plastic if not serving right away.

Case of the missing food pictures

For the last 3 hours I have done nothing but search out and re post my food pictures. For some unknown reason I’m missing a ridiculous amount of pictures that I’ve posted. Stay tuned because so far all I have time to do today was the Soup and Stew and This and That categories. I will gradually fix the other posts missing the pictures. If you should peruse my page, and see a missing picture please let me know and I will re post the picture.

Roast Chicken Breast with Wild Mushroom Risotto and Sage Pan Gravy

 

Wild Mushroom Risotto:

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup onions, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped

2 cups wild mushrooms, sliced

2 cups arborio rice

salt and pepper; to taste

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

 

Chicken:

4 chicken skinless and boneless chicken breasts

salt and pepper; to taste

flour, for dredging

vegetable oil

 

Sage Pan Gravy:

flour

1/4 cup dry sherry

2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

1 cup chicken stock

 

Wild Mushroom Risotto:

Pour stock into a saucepan and heat until hot; keep warm. To prepare the risotto, melt the butter in a shallow skillet and sweat the onions, garlic and sage until almost translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until lightly colored. Add the rice and saute until the grains are slightly transparent. Season.

Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add enough chicken stock to cover the rice by 1/2 inch and simmer. Stir frequently, adding hot stock to keep rice covered, allowing that to be absorbed, then adding more as needed. When the rice is about 90% cooked, add the heavy cream and Parmesan, then continue cooking and stirring until the rice is creamy but thick enough to mound slightly on a plate.

Chicken:

While risotto is simmering, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in flour, shaking off excess.

Heat a small amount of oil in a cast iron skillet and sear chicken until lightly brown on both sides. Place the skillet in the oven to roast for about 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken to a platter and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Reserve the pan juices.

Sage Pan Gravy:

To make the gravy, sprinkle a small amount of flour into the pan juices and cook over medium heat, whisking to form a roux. Add the sherry and sage, stirring until incorporated.

Add the chicken stock, stirring until the gravy is well blended and free of lumps. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken slightly, then strain.

To serve, mound the risotto on the plates and place a chicken breast on top. Drizzle the gravy around the outside.

Avocado Quesadillas

2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch dice.

1 firm avocado,peeled and diced into 1/4 inch dice

1 tablespoon red onion, chopped

2 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. Tabasco

jalapeno-optional,minced

salt and pepper; to taste

1/4 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

4 flour tortillas or whole wheat

1/2 tsp vegetable oil

1 1/3 cups grated Pepper Jack Cheese

In a small bowl stir together tomatoes, avocado, onion, lemon juice, jalapeno and Tabasco sauce; season with salt and pepper; to taste. In another bowl stir together the sour cream, cilantro; salt and pepper; to taste.

Preheat the broiler.

Put tortillas on a baking sheet and brush tops with oil. Broil tortillas until pale golden. Turn tortillas over and broil the other sides until pale golden. Sprinkle tortillas evenly with the cheese and broil until cheese is melted and bubbling. Spread the avocado mixture evenly over 2 tortillas and top each with 1 of the remaining tortillas, cheese side down. Transfer quesadillas to a cutting board and cut into wedges.

Top each with sour cream mixture.

Chicken Portofino

1 cup buttermilk

4 skinless,boneless chicken breasts

flour

5 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 lb. stemmed, cleaned and sliced cremini mushrooms

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup white wine

chopped parsley

Season the buttermilk with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts in a zip loc bag and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and drain the chicken on a wire rack. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour.

In a skillet on medium high heat, saute breasts in 4 tablespoons olive oil for 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat. In another skillet add the mushrooms and garlic with the remaining olive oil and cook on medium heat for 2minutes. Add the chicken stock, wine and pine nuts. Reduce slightly. Add the sauteed chicken breasts, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 5-8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Merguez Sausage Sliders with White Bean Spread

Merguez Patties:

1 lb. ground lamb

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon harissa spice blend

1 tablespoon parsley, minced

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. fennel seed

salt and pepper, to taste

4 tablespoons olive oil

Harissa Spice Blend:

4 tsp. ground coriander

3 tsp. ancho chili powder

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne

Grind up in spice grinder.

White Bean Spread:

1 (15 oz.)can white beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup olive oil

1/ 2 cup onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons mint leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp of 4 spice mixture

1/4 cup lemon juice

Salt, to taste.

4 Spice Blend:

2 tsp. whole cloves

1 tablespoon black pepper corns

2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground ginger

Grind up in spice grinder

Small Rolls

Fresh Baby Spinach

Combine the merquez sausage ingredients and form into small patties. Cook in a hot pan with a small amount of oil. Sear and cook through.

Place the ingredients of the bean spread into a food processor bowl fitted with a metal blade. Process until smooth.

Spread bean spread on both sides of the inside of the sliced roll and top with a sausage patty and top with spinach.